Israel Adesanya-Robert Whittaker Middleweight Title Rematch Official for UFC 271

A long-rumored middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is now official for UFC 271.

The promotion announced the bout during the UFC 269 broadcast on Saturday. UFC 271 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12. Adesanya defeated Whittaker via second-round knockout at UFC 243 to claim the 185-pound belt on Oct. 5, 2019.

Since his first meeting with Whittaker, Adesanya has gone 3-1 in UFC competition, with successful 185-pound title defenses against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. “The Last Stylebender” suffered his first career defeat at UFC 259, when he moved up a division and fell to Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight title bout this past March.

Whittaker, meanwhile, has gone 3-0 since his loss to Adesanya, with a decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum solidifying his status as the division’s No. 1 contender. The 30-year-old PMA Super Martial Arts representative has won 12 of his last 13 bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion dating back to June 2014.