UFC 271: The best of the rest as Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa and Derek Brunson take to the Octagon

All eyes will be on Israel Adesanya this weekend as the all-conquering middleweight champion looks to defend his throne for a fifth time on the bounce at UFC 271.

Standing across the Octagon will be No 1 contender Robert Whittaker, who has scaled back to the summit of the division after being outclassed by the New Zealander two-and-a-half years ago.

Bobby Knuckles will be desperate not to fall under Adesanya’s spell again, but there are plenty of tantalising match-ups to whet the appetite before Saturday night’s main event in Texas.

There’s a battle of the fan-favourites in the co-main event, two middleweight veterans look to put themselves in pole position to challenge for the 185-pound strap while an American heavyweight attempts to get past the division’s gatekeeper.

Here Sportsmail profiles the best of the rest from a stacked UFC 271 card. 

Derrick Lewis v Tai Tuivasa

Two fan-favourites collide at UFC 271 this weekend, as Derrick Lewis takes on Aussie heavyweight Tai Tuivasa in the co-main event. 

Lewis, 37, wilted under the spotlight last time out, losing to Ciryl Gane in front of his home crowd in Texas with the interim championship on the line. 

The division is currently clouded by uncertainty following Francis Ngannou’s victory over Gane last month, but No 3-ranked Lewis will bid to put himself in a strong position to challenge for the title again.

In his way is the charismatic Tuivasa, who is currently in the midst of a rich vein of form having won his last four UFC bouts, all followed by his famous ‘shoey’ celebration – in which he drinks beer from a shoe provided by a fan Octagonside. 

Lewis is also known for his entertaining post-fight antics and, while he respects Tuivasa’s fighting abilities, doesn’t see the appeal of a ‘shoey’.

‘The beer drinking out of the shoe and all that, what y’all do out there, I don’t like that, that’s nasty! My feet smell cheesy, I don’t know,’ Lewis said of Tuivasa’s celebration.   

Jared Cannonier v Derek Brunson 

Two middleweight veterans go to war on Saturday night, with the stakes sky high for Jared Cannonier, 37, and Derek Brunson, 38. 

The 185-pound stars have enjoyed an Indian summer in the past year or so. Cannonier’s title charge was derailed by Robert Whittaker at UFC 254, but the American showed his championship credentials after beating Kelvin Gastelum last August. He has won four of his last five fights.

Brunson has emerged out of the ‘journeyman’ mold to put together an impressive run. The former high school cheerleader is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak and served a heavy blow to Darren Till’s middleweight hopes last time out.

Brunson’s clash with Cannonier has been a long time in the making, and was pushed back to UFC 271. The 38-year-old believes this was done so as to ensure a back-up was available in case Adesanya or Whittaker drops out. 

‘For sure, I have been waiting for an opportunity, five in a row, I’ve been waiting for that title shot. So if the opportunity comes up, for sure,’ he explained. 

At such a late stage in both of their careers, this middleweight shootout will surely see one man’s title dream perish, while the other will be in pole position to face the victor of Adesanya v Whittaker.   

Kyler Phillips v Marcelo Rojo

Trying to make headway in a stacked bantamweight division are Kyler Phillips and Marcelo Rojo.

Phillips, 26, suffered a setback last time out, losing to Raulian Paiva via unanimous decision, but the blow of defeat was softened by the $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus he pocketed for his showing. 

He will be looking to get back on track against Rojo, who makes his first Octagon appearance in almost a year, having lost to Charles Jourdain in his UFC debut at Fight Night 187. 

The Pitbull has lost three of his last six fights and needs a morale-boosting victory. 

Bobby Green v Nasrat Haqparast 

Attention turns to the lightweights as Bobby Green takes on Nasrat Haqparast at 155 pounds. 

Green’s UFC career appeared to only be going in one direction when he met Al Iaquinta off the back of a two-fight skid. 

However, the veteran put in a stirring performance to earn a TKO victory and Performance of the Night bonus at UFC 268.

He takes on an up-and-coming star in Nasrat Haqparast, who is desperate to get back on track after suffering a unanimous decision defeat by Dan Hooker at UFC 268.  

Andrei Arlovski v Jared Vanderaa 

UFC veteran Arlovski is enjoying a resurgence. The 43-year-old has won his last two bouts and enters UFC 271 brimming with confidence after a unanimous decision win over Carlos Felipe last October.

Jared Vanderaa, meanwhile, is reeling from his TKO defeat to Alexander Romanov at UFC Fight Night 194. 

Arlovski is, somewhat harshly, viewed as the heavyweight gatekeeper, with the likes of Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall all defeating the Belarusian on their way to bigger and greater things. 

The Mountain will hope that also applies to him this weekend.