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UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Whittaker will kick off this Saturday night in Houston, Texas. This weekend’s action-packed card sees more than a dozen different matchups taking place, all culminating with the main event. Each of these combats can be can be wagered on at SugarHouse sportsbook.
UFC Fight Night: Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya vs. Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker
Date and Time: Saturday, February, 12, 2022, Action begins at 6 PM ET
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Opening UFC Fight Night Odds: Israel Adesanya (-286) vs. Robert Whittaker (+230)
UFC Fight Night TV Coverage: ESPN+
The main event begins at 11:00 PM EST and will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston. The preliminary card gets underway at 6:00 PM EST. Check out BetMaker’s preview and prediction before placing your UFC bets.
All odds courtesy of SugarHouse online sportsbook.
UFC Fight Night Preview
Saturday night presents us with a huge middleweight title bout between champion Israel Adesanya and number one contender Robert Whittaker. This won’t be the first meeting between these two fighters as Whittaker is looking for revenge following a knockout from the hands of Adesanya in 2019.
Both of these strikers are coming off of victories in their last fights. Adesanya took down Marvin Vettori in June by way of unanimous decision. With the win, The Last Stylebender improved his fighting record to an incredible 21-1-0 (10-1-0 in UFC). The only loss came as he challenged Jon Blachowicz for the lightweight title, so he remains unbeaten in the middleweight class.
Whittaker comes in after winning his last bout, too. In fact, he’s landed three consecutive victories since July of last year. The Reaper outlasted Kelvin Gastelum this past April to bump his overall mark to 24-5-0. That includes a 14-3-0 mark in UFC action.
These fighters come in with similar fighting styles that rely mostly on technical striking and kickboxing abilities. Adesanya is the more polished of the two, and it showed in the previous meeting versus Whittaker. He was able to KO his opponent with his quickness and power.
Whittaker, while not as strong a boxer, presents a bit more versatility. He possesses both technical striking talent and capable wrestling abilities. Of his 24 wins, 10 have come by knockout, nine have come via decision, and five have come by submission.
Compare that to Adesanya, who’s landed 15 of his 21 wins by way of knockout and none by submission. He’ll look to keep this thing standing as long as possible.
Where Adesanya does hold the upper hand is in reach and defense. At 6-foot-4, he far outreaches the 6-foot Whittaker to an advantage of 80 inches to 73.5. His agility gives him the ability to evade strikes from opposition and counter when given the chance.
Who is favored in UFC Fight Night?
Adesanya, unsurprisingly, comes in as a heavy UFC betting favorite. He picked Whittaker apart in the first meeting, eventually landing a second-round knockout.
The Last Stylebender comes in with -286 odds to land the win, while the underdog Whittaker enters at +230.
If you do believe that The Reaper can get his revenge by pulling off the massive upset, there is value. A $100 bet could turn in a $230 profit, but it may be wiser to stick with the favorite.
There are some interesting trends to follow with this fight. Adesanya enters with a 9-1 UFC record when entering as a favorite. Whittaker, on the other hand is 7-1 as an underdog. One of those impressive marks will be blemished on Saturday.
As far as method of victory goes, many believe that this will go the distance. Adesanya boasts +150 odds to win by decision, while Whittaker holds +450 odds to do the same. Each of Whittaker’s last three fights have ended with him landing victories by decision.
There are also -118 odds for the fight to go the distance compared to seeing a win by finish. But if you do think this one will end in a quick knockout like last time, there are +1600 odds of the fight ending in the first 60 seconds, which would land a nice payday.
UFC Fight Night Prediction
Whittaker enters as the number one contender and is eager to get payback for the 2019 knockout. We just don’t see it happening.
Adesanya was dominant in the first meeting, which makes it hard to pick against the current middleweight champ. While it may not end with another KO, we expect The Last Stylebender to keep claim of the belt in this huge championship bout.
UFC Fight Night Pick: Israel Adesanya (-286)
