Israel Adesanya's coach reveals Robert Whittaker's status for a potential UFC Middleweight title shot
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker seemingly has a long road to reach the top again. After winning the Interim Championship in 2017, Whittaker was promoted to the Undisputed Champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the title.
From there, he would face Yoel Romero again, but that didn't count as a title defense as the latter missed weight. That didn't stop Robert Whittaker from picking up the win, but his title defense against Israel Adesanya saw him lose to the Kiwi star.
Israel Adesanya has taken the entire UFC by storm and is on course to become the fourth Double-Champion in UFC history if he defeats Jan Blachowicz in the first quarter of 2021.
Robert Whittaker, meanwhile, bounced back in 2020 with back-to-back victories over Darren Till and rising contender Jared Cannonier. The latter seemed to cement him as the next Middleweight contender in line, but the UFC doesn't seem interested in booking a rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker anytime soon.
Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Baremen revealed that Robert Whittaker isn't even close to a title fight against Israel Adesanya. He told Submission Radio (H/T MMAMania) that their focus is on Jan Blachowicz:
“The crosshairs are on Jan,” Bareman said. “Robert Whittaker may as well be outside of the scope. He’s not even anywhere near the crosshairs. So, like, yeah, we’re not even mentioning that name. All our focus is on the Blachowicz fight. At the moment, the battle that’s going on is not between the two fighters, it’s between the management teams of both fighters and the UFC. But that’s the battle going on now.”
Why Robert Whittaker could get skipped for a title shot in 2021
Despite victories over two top contenders, Robert Whittaker is unlikely to get a title shot in 2021. If Israel Adesanya defeats Jan Blachowicz, it's almost certain to set up a Jon Jones megafight in the second half of 2021.
It seems as though UFC has different plans for Israel Adesanya and if it goes through as expected, then Robert Whittaker may have to take another fight in 2021. The only name that springs to mind is Paulo Costa since he lost to Israel Adesanya and expressed his desire to fight Robert Whittaker.