UFC 271 is in the books. Israel Adesanya retained his middleweight belt in a decision that was not without its controversies. Tai Tuivasa shook up the heavyweight division. Bobby Green made a statement at lightweight as well. Casey O’Neill sent Roxanne Modafferi into retirement and continued her ascent in the talent-heavy women’s flyweight division.

Through the fourteen fights on the UFC 271 card, the Cage Calculus forecast favorites went 10-4, bringing the forecast’s overall record since its inception to 134-72-2. All forecast projections are based on a fighter’s CC rating. You can find out how those ratings are generated HERE. You can view the projections for last week’s fights HERE, HERE, and HERE. The CC Editor’s Picks were 10-4 and the odds-on favorites according to Vegas were 11-3.

2022 Overall Standings

• Cage Calculus Forecast: 31-17
• Cage Calculus Editor Picks: 34-14
• Las Vegas Oddsmakers: 33-15

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from UFC 271:

Israel Adesanya Might Not Be That Invincible

Yes, Adesanya is the best middleweight in the world. But, that’s not necessarily something we learned so much as it was something that was re-demonstrated. However, this last fight was far closer than the scorecards might have shown. It is even the opinion of a number of fighters and MMA pundits that Robert Whittaker (#1 CC, #1 UFC) did enough to win three rounds and win back the middleweight belt.

This is now the second such fight where Adesanya was involved in a relatively tame battle where the judges could have gone either way, but Adesanya benefitted from the spoils of incumbency (see his fight with Yoel Romero). Some fighters, like Michael Chandler, are not fans of this strategy. Like it or not, though, Adesanya is very difficult to hit and to take down. However, it’s possible to make it a close fight when all is said and done.

Robert Whittaker Has Colby Covington Syndrome

UFC boss Dana White likes to say of welterweight contender Colby Covington (#5 CC, #1 UFC) that if the champion Kamaru Usman didn’t exist, he’d be the undisputed best welterweight around. But, he lives in a time where there’s a guy just a cut above. That feels like it’s becoming Whittaker’s reality. He’s now failed twice to dispatch Adesanya, but it is simultaneously difficult to imagine any other top middleweight being able to beat Whittaker at this point. Whittaker can now circle back through the division to try and fend off top contenders to try and earn an elusive third title shot, or (as Chael Sonnen suggests) consider a change in weight class.

Tai Tuivasa Scrambled the Heavyweight Division

Tuivasa (#6 CC, #3 UFC) turned the already mercurial heavyweight division on its head. His brutal second round knockout of Derrick Lewis (#4 CC, #5 UFC) was his fifth straight and vaulted him all the way into the top 3 of the official UFC rankings. It now feels a little premature to give him a title shot, but also like a bit of a step back if he takes on someone below Lewis. Some have suggested a bout with former interim champ Ciryl Gane (#2 CC, #1 UFC). Others suggest the winner of Curtis Blaydes (#5 CC, #4 UFC) vs Chris Daukaus (NR CC, #8 UFC) or Alexander Volkov (#3 CC, #6 UFC) vs Tom Aspinall (#12 CC, #11 UFC). Not to mention the fact that the champ, Francis Ngannou will be out a while rehabbing a knee injury, faces a contract dispute, and the UFC is waiting to see if a fight between Stipe Miocic (#1 CC, #2 UFC) and Jon Jones will materialize. Tuivasa is now firmly in a crowded picture and earned his spot there in style.

Jared Cannonier is Next

Cannonier (#4 CC, #2 UFC) may be rated below Sean Strickland (#2 CC, #5 UFC) in the Cage Calculus rankings, but after dismantling Derek Brunson (#3 CC, #4 UFC) at UFC 271, he is almost assuredly next in line for the title. Cannonier looked dominated on the ground in the first round, but Brunson’s cardio failed him, leading to a TKO so bad Brunson’s corner threw in the towel as the ref was getting to him. Add to that the nice promo he cut in the cage with Daniel Cormier and it is safe to say Cannonier will be the next man standing across from Adesanya for the middleweight belt.

Photo Credit: MMA Fighting