Israel Adesanya set to defend title
The 35-year-old remains undefeated as a middleweight, however, and most recently made the third defence of his title against Marvin Vettori.
Nigeria-born fighter, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker will renew their rivalry as they run it back in the Octagon at UFC 271 next weekend in Houston, Texas.
It was Adesanya who emerged victorious when the pair first locked horns in 2019 as the enigmatic middleweight dethroned Whittaker via a second-round stoppage victory.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has since suffered his first-ever MMA defeat, falling short against Jan Blachowicz last year as he ventured up to light heavyweight.
The 35-year-old remains undefeated as a middleweight, however, and most recently made the third defence of his title against Marvin Vettori.
An improved Whittaker has fought and won on three occasions since relinquishing his title, including against Britain's Darren Till, and the 31-year-old assures he's an entirely different fighter going into the rematch.
Elsewhere, Houston hometown favourite Derrick Lewis features in the co-main event against Tai Tuivasa.
With the intriguing spectacle swiftly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you need to know.
The clash between Adesanya and Whittaker is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The action will get underway in the early hours of Sunday morning for those in the UK, with the preliminary card starting at 1am and the main card kicking off at 3am.
The pair are expected to touch gloves at around 6am, though that will of course depend on the results beforehand.
As stated, there is also plenty of action on the undercard, with American Lewis set to take on Australian Tuivasa.
Elsewhere, on the main card, Jared Cannonier takes on Derek Brunson, Kyler Phillips fights Marcelo Rojo and Bobby Green goes up against Nasrat Haqparast.
