Robert Whittaker shares prediction for Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya clash at UFC 305: "This suits Dricus quite well"
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has weighed in on the upcoming title clash between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, siding with the current champ.
Whittaker, having fought both Adesanya and du Plessis, believes the South African's aggressive style could pose a significant threat to the champion. He highlights the success Sean Strickland had against Adesanya with constant pressure, suggesting 'Stillknocks' might replicate that approach.
Speaking to The Sporting News, 'The Reaper' said:
"Stylistically, this suits Dricus quite well. I think the performance we saw displayed in his last fight, that level of pressure he put on Sean Strickland, he’ll use to great effect against Adesanya, especially when we saw Strickland use the same sort of thing against Adesanya when they fought. I’m going to lean towards Dricus for this one.”
This news comes after UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the middleweight title will be on the line at UFC 305 during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show.
Du Plessis, who captured the belt from Sean Strickland in January, will be making his first title defense. Israel Adesanya, meanwhile, seeks to become the first fighter in UFC history to regain a title after losing it and achieve a record-breaking third reign within the middleweight division.
Robert Whittaker ready to prove himself against new opponent at UFC Saudi Arabia
Robert Whittaker will face a new challenge this weekend at UFC Saudi Arabia after his original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, was forced to withdraw due to illness.
While expressing well wishes for Chimaev's recovery, Whittaker admitted the last-minute change caused some initial stress. Speaking to Sporting News in the same interview, he said:
"It was stressful because there was the potential for the fight just to fall apart and that would have been a catastrophe for me because I’ve put all this work in"
Stepping in for Chimaev is the unranked but dangerous Ikram Aliskerov. Despite initially not being familiar with Aliskerov, Whittaker has since studied his opponent and recognizes a potential threat. He acknowledges Aliskerov's well-rounded skillset and knockout power, requiring a focused performance from Whittaker.
The former champion said:
“Obviously, I’ve done my research since then and honestly, in a lot of angles, he’s more of a dangerous fight for me than Chimaev is. He’s got a very well-rounded skillset, he’s taken Chimaev into hardship and he’s got better striking with knockout power.I’m going to have to be on my toes for this one, I’m going to just have to play my game and lean into my strengths.”
Coming off a win against Paulo Costa, Whittaker aims to use this fight as a stepping stone back towards a title shot. He promises an aggressive performance, determined to dominate Aliskerov and make a statement in his return to the Octagon.
Check out Robert Whittaker's last fight with Paulo Costa below: