Preview: UFC 271 ‘Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2’

Bantamweights

NR | Kyler Phillips (9-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Marcelo Rojo (16-7, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Phillips (-400), Rojo (+300)

Even coming off of a disappointing loss, 2021 was still a breakout year for Phillips. Initially signed by the UFC in 2019, injuries delayed Phillips’ debut to 2020, at which point he impressed with wins over Gabriel Silva and Cameron Else. “The Matrix” was still obviously a raw talent but showed some potential as a high-level athlete who was able to mix in his wrestling and striking. However, he figured to be completely unready for his pairing against Yadong Song in March, which made it amazingly impressive when Phillips put on by far the best performance of his career, staying focused and leveraging his speed to take a decision from one of the best prospects in the division. Phillips was then booked for what figured to be a showcase bout against Raulian Paiva, but it instead turned into a fight just as frustrating as the Song win was impressive. Phillips fought inefficiently and obviously decided to hunt for a knockout early, resulting in a messy affair that saw Paiva earn a narrow win on the scorecards. Still just 26, Phillips figures to bounce back and regain some of his shine, and that path starts against Rojo. Argentina’s Rojo is a consistently exciting fighter with more technical acumen than you would expect, but he still mostly relies on a straight-ahead approach to carry him through a war. There are wins for him on this roster, but this probably is not one of them. Phillips is a level above Rojo in terms of athleticism and should be able to leverage that into either being faster on the feet or a stronger wrestler and grappler. It should be exciting, but Phillips figures to outlast Rojo without much issue, even if the American does not take the best approach. The pick is Phillips via third-round stoppage.

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