Tough border restrictions have meant Australia and New Zealand have missed out on the UFC middleweight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker with the two set to clash in Houston, Texas this Sunday.
Adesanya claimed the title be dethroning Whittaker back in October 2019 with a second-round stoppage in front of a UFC record crowd of over 57,000 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Since then, Adesanya has continued to look unstoppable at middleweight however did suffer his first loss when he stepped up a weight division to challenge Jan Blachowicz, who at the time was the light-heavyweight champion in the promotion.
Whittaker has earned a shot at redemption, defeating Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kevin Gastelum on his way back to the title shot.
The event is jam-packed with local contingent, notably heavyweight favourite Tai Tuivasa meeting heavy-handed Derrick Lewis in the co-main event. Expect fireworks in this one.
Casey O’Neill, Carlos Ulberg, Jacob Malkoun, and Mike Mathetha are all scheduled on the card.
How to watch Israel Adesanya vs Rob Whittaker 2 in Australia
The event will be broadcast exclusively on Mainevent Pay-Per-View in Australia which can also be accessed via Kayo. The price of the PPV is listed as $54.95.
Stream – Pay Per View – WHITTAKER VS ADESANYA
What time will Israel Adesanya vs Rob Whittaker take place in Australia?
The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas will host the blockbuster middleweight contest with the event broadcast live to Australia on Sunday. The pay-per-view main card is scheduled to begin at 2pm AEDT.
Why is it not being held in Australia or New Zealand?
The UFC seemed to be holding out on hosting the event in either New Zealand or Australia bud sadly border closures/restrictions in both countries made it difficult to plan the event here and as such, the UFC could not keep the middleweight division on hold any further.
Full Fight Card
Main Card (Main Event PPV) – 2pm AEDT:
- Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Robert Whittaker – UFC middleweight title
- Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson
- Alexander Hernandez vs. Renato Moicano
- Bobby Green vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Preliminary Card (ESPN/UFC Fight Pass) – 12pm AEDT:
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Jared Vanderaa
- Roxanne Modafferi vs. Casey O’Neill
- Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo
- Carlos Ulberg vs. Fabio Cherant
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass) – 10am AEDT:
- Mana Martinez vs. Ronnie Lawrence
- A.J. Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun
- Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Mike Mathetha
- William Knight vs. Maxim Grishin
*Last Updated: 13 February 2022
