Michael Bisping breaks down what Robert Whittaker needs to do in rematch against Israel Adesanya at UFC 271
Michael Bisping provided his analysis for the upcoming middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.
Bisping opined that Whittaker will have to make significant adjustments if he hopes to reclaim the middleweight strap. During an interview with Submission Radio, the Englishman said Whittaker should borrow tricks from Jan Blachowicz's playbook to defeat Adesanya. According to 'The Count':
"What Robert needs to do in this one – and I think what he's talking about here – is letting Israel attack him. That's what we saw Jan Blachowicz do. He was standing his ground pretty much and letting Israel come forward and be the aggressor. That makes it easier to counter. Also, Robert has to use a lot of feints, a lot of misdirection. The feints are the key to everything."
Watch Michael Bisping's full interview with Submission Radio below:
Bisping then said taking Adesanya down at the center of the octagon is another tactic Whittaker could employ. That way, Bisping believes taking the fence away from Adesanya will prevent 'The Last Stylebender' from getting back to his feet.
Jan Blachowicz in full control over Israel Adesanya to end round 5 😳
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(via @ufc)
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However, 'The Count' also mentioned that doing so is easier said than done given Adesanya's tremendous takedown defense. The reigning 185-pound titleholder has been successful against elite wrestlers such as Marvin Vettori, Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson throughout his UFC stint.
Michael Bisping explains what Robert Whittaker did wrong the first time he fought Israel Adesanya
Michael Bisping also warned Robert Whittaker about being too aggressive against Israel Adesanya. The Manchester native explained why Whittaker's game plan did not work against 'The Last Stylebender', saying:
"His approach wasn't good, he was trying to rush it, he was lunging in from a distance, and you can't do that against somebody like Israel Adesanya. He's far too precise, he's an absolute sniper in there. He's very skilled, he's very fast, and he has the reach advantage. Now, is that reach advantage and the range that he has that was causing Robert to lunge in? He was trying to jump him with a left hook [but Adesanya] saw that coming a mile away."
CAN'T WAIT 😍😍😍😍😍😍 #UFC271 https://t.co/YVVMbHOzXV
Adesanya and Whittaker will headline February's UFC 271 pay-per-view at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It will be a rematch of their UFC 243 title unification, which saw Adesanya defeat Whittaker by second-round TKO.