Fans debate if Alex Pereira is a more favorable matchup for Robert Whittaker than Israel Adesanya - "Rob will ragdoll Alex if he doesn't come prepared"
MMA fans have been debating whether Robert Whittaker would fare better against Alex Pereira than Israel Adesanya did.
Alex Pereira shocked the world at UFC 281 when he knocked Israel Adesanya out deep into the fifth round to become the new middleweight champion. 'The Last Stylebender' was minutes away from a decision victory before the Brazilian's powerful left hook caught the now-former champ.
Alex Poatan Pereira x Israel Adesanya - 5TH RD https://t.co/tT1Ph2vJz7
Both men had their moments in the fight, but the fan debate came because of the third round, where Adesanya dominated Pereira for the majority with his wrestling and grappling.
Although Pereira went on to win the fight and become the divisional king, fans have theorized whether or not Robert Whittaker could have more success against the Brazilian due to his elite grappling and wrestling skills.
One fan wrote:
"Izzy's takedown defense was a huge factor, Rob will ragdoll Alex if he doesn't come prepared"
Another fan suggested that as long as 'The Reaper' could take Pereira down, it's an easy fight for the former titleholder. If he can't however, then Whittaker could face the same problems he did in both his fights with Adesanya:
"It depends whether he can take him down or not, if he can then yes it's an easier fight. But if he can't take him down then he's locked in a cage with a two division kickboxing champion who's a bigger, more skilled version of Adesanya"
Check out more of the fan debate below:
Watch Robert Whittaker and Jens Pulver react to Alex Pereira defeating Israel Adesanya
During UFC 281, Robert Whittaker took part in a live stream with the man who held the inaugural UFC lightweight title, Jens Pulver.
The pair livestreamed their reactions to the PPV, offering a fighter insight into all the matchups. During the main event, Whittaker paid close attention due to his history with Israel Adesanya and his goal of becoming the 185-pound champ once again.
In the fifth round when Pereira let his hands go, 'The Reaper' was left speechless as he watched the Brazilian TKO Adesanya, and hand him the first loss of his middleweight career.
Pulver, reacting alongside Whittaker, couldn't believe what he'd seen:
"Oh! Big shots. Here goes Pereira. Oh! Izzy's out on his feet. He's out on his feet. He hits too hard. Down he goes. Pereira's bombing. Izzy's out on his feet and it's done."
Watch the moment here: