UFC 271
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | February 12, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts competition |
UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 was a mixed martial arts competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, taking place on February 12, 2022, at the Toyota Center located in Houston, Texas, United States.
Background
The main event featured a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship between reigning champion Israel Adesanya and former titleholder Robert Whittaker. Their initial encounter occurred at UFC 243, where Adesanya unified the middleweight belt by delivering a knockout in the second round.
A flyweight contest was planned between former title contender Alex Perez and Matt Schnell, but it was called off during weigh-ins after Perez failed to make weight and Schnell declined to accept a catchweight bout. This matchup had been postponed multiple times across different events.
The middleweight title eliminator bout involving Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson was shifted from UFC 270 to UFC 271 for reasons not publicly disclosed.
Lightweight competitors Mark Madsen, who earned a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, and Vinc Pichel were slated to fight; however, their match was postponed to UFC 273.
In the welterweight division, Orion Cosce was initially scheduled to face Mike Mathetha but was replaced by Jeremiah Wells due to undisclosed circumstances.
A light heavyweight matchup between Maxim Grishin and Ed Herman underwent changes when Herman withdrew. He was substituted by William Knight, who weighed in at 218 pounds—12 pounds over the limit—marking the largest weight miss ever recorded in UFC history. The fight proceeded at heavyweight, with Knight penalized by forfeiting 40% of his fight purse to Grishin.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov
- Performance of the Night: Tai Tuivasa and Jared Cannonier