Can Robert Whittaker beat Israel Adesanya in a rematch?
Robert Whittaker made an emphatic return to the octagon in the main event of UFC Fight Island 3. The former Middleweight champion went up against the rising star of the division, Darren Till and the fight lived up to its hype.
Two of the best strikers in the world showcased their skills inside the octagon for five rounds. However, it was Whittaker who secured the victory via unanimous decision. With that win The Reaper is back to winning ways.
Whittaker had a devastating loss in the fight against Israel Adesanya. He lost his title in front of more than 50,000 fans and that's something which is tough to bounce back from.
However, he was the champion for a reason and he proved yet again that he is one of the best to enter the octagon. However, is he ready to take on Israel Adesanya if the Last Stylebender beats Paulo Costa at UFC 253?
It's hard not to appreciate the performance Robert Whittaker put against Darren Till. It was a striking extravaganza and Whittaker beat The Gorilla at his own game. A big reason behind Whittaker's win was his ability to put everything together.
Whittaker was mixing things up with his jabs, leg kicks, and sidekicks throughout the five rounds. Whittaker was shooting for takedowns and when the opportunity presented, he was throwing the haymakers to finish the fight.
It was an all-round performance from Whittaker that won him the fight against an elite striker like Darren Till. But if Whittaker fights Adesanya next, will he be able to avenge his loss?
How does Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya rematch play out?
Israel Adesanya is the best striker in the Middleweight division. He is always a step ahead of everyone else in the division when it comes to that department. Whittaker looked like the guy who would stop the Last Stylebender's run.
However, Robert Whittaker came into the Adesanya fight with a terrible gameplan. He tried to replicate what Gastelum did against Adesanya.
Whittaker could have been more cautious while closing the distance against the current UFC Middleweight Champion. He was not landing too many shots while charging at the Last Stylebender and the Nigerian was making him miss a lot. Overall, that performance was very uncharacteristic of Robert Whittaker.
We saw the same Robert Whittaker in the first round against Darren Till and that's how The Reaper goes about his business. However, after the knockdown in the first round, Whittaker became more cautious.
He was not overcommitting with his strikes and was throwing some massive lead hooks and his signature right high kick. But Till was making him miss with ease and The Gorilla landed the bigger shots in the fight while Robert Whittaker stayed more active throughout the fight.
And if you assess Whittaker's last performance then it's obvious that if he has a good gameplan, then The Reaper can give a tough challenge to Adesanya. But it's unlikely that he is going to outstrike the current Middleweight Champion for five rounds. Besides that, Robert Whittaker is not going to dominate The Last Stylebender on the ground.
Whittaker vs Adesanya 2 can be a lot more competitive than the first fight. However, to beat The Last Stylebender, The Reaper needs to make some drastic changes in his gameplan.