Israel Adesanya picks his winner for Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308
Israel Adesanya recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev middleweight clash at UFC 308 this weekend. The event will take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and will be headlined by an Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway featherweight title match.
It's no secret that Adesanya has a history with Whittaker. The two fought twice in the octagon, with 'The Last Stylebender' getting the better of his opponent on both occasions. Nevertheless, Adesanya is backing Whittaker to beat the Chechen-born grappling maestro this weekend.
In a recent YouTube video, the former UFC middleweight champion shared his predictions for the upcoming battle and said:
"I just think Rob is a guy not to be f**ked with. Look at his last fight; hopefully, people will remember who he is now. I think Rob will do it again, definitely not as early, I don’t think so. I just think he’ll catch him later on. But he has to weather the storm, he has to survive until he can’t... I’m gonna go Rob with this one with the late finish. Round 4... Late finish."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (8:45):
Caio Borralho says Israel Adesanya fight potentially in the works for UFC 312
Israel Adesanya may soon have a new opponent to prepare for. Fast-rising middleweight contender Caio Borralho recently revealed that he's in talks with the UFC to book a fight against Adesanya for the pay-per-view event in February 2025. UFC 312 is slated to take place in Sydney, Australia.
Adesanya is coming off a fourth-round submission loss to Dricus du Plessis in their title fight at UFC 305, and the Nigerian-born Kiwi is now on a two-fight losing streak. Nevertheless, he could have an opportunity to redeem himself early next year.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Borralho revealed discussing a potential Adesanya fight with the promotion and predicted a finish over the former UFC middleweight champion. He said:
"I want to fight Izzy. We are in talks with UFC, but nothing confirmed yet. But that’s the fight we want. I think that’s the fight that makes sense... Let's see what the UFC wants... He was a great champion. He always has good points... If we fought, I’m going with a hundred percent power. I’m going with a hundred percent trying to finish him, and I will do it." [H/t: MMA Junkie]