"He is very unorthodox" - Robert Whittaker highlights how Sean Strickland's fighting style may bring new challenges for Israel Adesanya
Robert Whittaker cautioned Israel Adesanya about Sean Strickland’s unorthodox striking. Whittaker is the former UFC middleweight champion and has fought ‘The Last Stylebender’ twice in his career so far.
In spite of the recent loss to Dricus Du Plessis in a title eliminator fight, ‘Reaper’ is still a top contender in the middleweight division. Hence, he will be curiously observing how things unfold in the near future.
Reigning middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya is set to defend his title against fifth-ranked Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Adesanya is a well-rounded striker. However, leg kicks often give him an edge over opponents in terms of scoring.
While speaking to ‘mainevent’ in a recent episode, Whittaker drew attention to Strickland’s vulnerability to leg kicks. But he is curious to see how Israel Adesanya approaches the fight given Strickland’s awkward fighting style.
“[Strickland’s fighting style] is very unorthodox," Robert Whittaker stated. "He has a very upright striking stance. He is susceptible to leg kicks but he likes that pressure fighting. I think the Sean we saw [in the] last fight was probably his best showing. I think that is a very dangerous Strickland. I’m very interested to see if that [version of] Strickland can do something that can trouble the counter fighter that Izzy is!”
You can watch Robert Whittaker break down Adesanya vs Whittaker in the video below:
Robert Whittaker promises to come back stronger after a loss against Dricus Du Plessis
Robert Whittaker has ruled the UFC middleweight division as the second-best fighter since losing the title to Israel Adesanya and has fended off every rising contender working his way toward the title. Until recently, Adesanya was the only fighter to defeat Whittaker in the middleweight division.
However, all of that changed at UFC 290 when Dricus Du Plessis, a perceived sacrificial lamb figured out ‘Reaper’s fighting style and defeated him via a second-round TKO.
Whittaker, who is no stranger to losses, has bounced back from them every single time and elevated his career to the next level. His middleweight title run after losing to Stephen Thompson at welterweight as well as the resurgent run following Israel Adesanya's loss stand testimony to this. Recently, Whittaker took to his Twitter handle and reminded everyone of his ability to come back stronger.
“It’s not how many times you get knocked down that count, it’s how many times you get back up.” I’ve always come back stronger from a loss,” Whittaker tweeted.
Robert Whittaker is ranked second in the 185 lbs division and might actually be a few wins away from wiping away the UFC 290 failure.