The UFC is back with its second numbered event of the year. Following January’s blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and Cyril Gane at UFC 270, 2022 continues to get even better for MMA fans as this Saturday sees the hotly-anticipated rematch between UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya stopped the New Zealander at UFC 243 back in 2019 to win the title, but Whittaker is desperate for revenge and will be eager to show The Last Stylebender that he means business. Adesanya remains unbeaten at middleweight but lost to Jan Blachowicz last year at light-heavyweight. Whittaker, on the other hand, bounced back well from his defeat, claiming consecutive wins over Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of another big night in the Octagon…
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas, USA
When: Saturday, February 12, 2022. Prelims will kick off at 1am UK time on Sunday morning, with the main card kicking off at 3am. The main event can be expected at approximately 6am
How To Watch: BT Sport 1 (coverage starts at 1am UK time)
Tale Of The Tape:
Adesanya
Age: 32
Place of Birth: Lagos, Nigeria
Nickname: The Last Stylebender
Fights: 22
Wins: 21
Losses: 1
KOs: 15
Subs: 0
Height: 6’4’’
Reach: 80’’
Whittaker
Age: 31
Place of Birth: Auckland, New Zealand
Nickname: The Reaper
Fights: 28
Wins: 23
Losses: 5
KOs: 9
Subs: 5
Height: 5’11’’
Reach: 73.5’’
Full Fight Card*:
Main Card
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Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker
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Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa
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Jared Cannonier vs Derek Brunson
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Kyler Phillips vs Marcelo Rojo
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Bobby Green vs Nasrat Haqparast
Preliminary card
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Roxanne Modafferi vs Casey O’Neill
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Alex Perez vs Matt Schnell
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Ed Herman vs Maxim Grishin
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Leomana Martinez vs Ronnie Lawrence
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Alexander Hernandez vs Renato Moicano
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Carlos Ulberg vs Fabio Cherant
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AJ Dobson vs Jacob Malkoun
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Douglas Silva de Andrade vs Sergey Morozov
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Andrei Arlovski vs. Jared Vanderaa
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Mike Mathetha vs. Jeremiah Wells
What They Say:
Adesanya
“He’s going to be in for a rude awakening when he feels me because the first time we didn’t clinch. I hope to clinch with him this time because every time they do it and they realize, ‘Oh he’s a lot stronger than –’ they all say that. They think they know how strong I am until they feel me, then they’re like, ‘Oh sh*t.’” [MMA Junkie]
Whittaker
“I respect him just doing his thing. That’s the thing. While I think his behavior’s a little [out there] sometimes, he’s staying true to it. He’s still doing it. He’s just him. I guess that’s the long answer: I don’t hate the guy.” [MMAFighting.com]
*Subject to change
**18+ | BeGambleAware
