"You can't move up" - 'Big' John McCarthy and Josh Thomson debate what's next for Robert Whittaker after beating Marvin Vettori
Former MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy and former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson have broken down what’s next for Robert Whittaker after his outstanding performance against Marvin Vettori.
Whittaker recently teased a potential move from the middleweight (185-pound) division to the light heavyweight (205-pound) division. On the Weighing In podcast, John McCarthy strongly disapproved of Whittaker’s possible move to light heavyweight.
Thomson disagreed with McCarthy, stating that Robert Whittaker should move up to light heavyweight and take on the big boys if the Israel Adesanya versus Alex Pereira matchup turns out infavorably for him.
Drawing attention to 'The Reaper's unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris on September 3, McCarthy stated:
“We were just talking about him [Whittaker] moving up possibly to light heavyweight, right? And after that performance [against Vettori], you look and you go, ‘You can’t move up to light heavyweight. You can’t!' You’re the number-one guy in the middleweights."
Robert Whittaker put on a CLINIC to defeat Marvin Vettori in Paris! 👏
#UFCParis https://t.co/xDPsQlSPdm
Meanwhile, Thomson referred to the upcoming UFC middleweight title matchup between reigning champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Alex Pereira that’ll take place at UFC 281 on November 12.
Pereira holds a pair of victories over Adesanya in the sport of kickboxing and is regarded by many as a bad stylistic matchup for ‘Izzy’ in MMA as well. Notably, Adesanya has already beaten Whittaker twice in the sport of MMA.
Thomsons believe that Robert Whittaker should wait to see how the Adesanya-Pereira fight plays out, and if ‘Izzy’ loses, Whittaker could fight Pereira for the title. Thomson said:
“I think what he needs to do is he needs to wait to see who wins this [Adesanya-Pereira] fight. After that, there’s really no one else.”
Thomson continued:
“That’s why they fast-tracked Pereira to fight him [Adesanya], so they can say, ‘Hey, if Pereira wins, now Whittaker can slide in.’”
Watch McCarthy and Thomson discuss the topic at 25:06 in the video below:
An immediate rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira could delay a potential Robert Whittaker title shot
During their conversation, both McCarthy and Thomson acknowledged the possibility that the UFC might book an immediate rematch between Adesanya and Pereira if ‘Izzy’ loses. They opined that this is because Adesanya has been a dominant UFC champion and has earned the right to an immediate rematch in case he loses.
Israel Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight title against Alex Pereira at #UFC281 in MSG 🗽 https://t.co/9bOC6AxT2A
John McCarthy and ‘The Punk’ insinuated that this, in turn, might force Robert Whittaker to wait on the sidelines before fighting for the UFC middleweight title again.
Presently, details regarding Whittaker’s next opponent and exact comeback date remain shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, fans can expect updates concerning Whittaker’s next fight to unravel in the months to come.
Perhaps the Aussie is waiting on the outcome of the Adesanya-Pereira fight.