Robert Whittaker suspects hidden agenda in Israel Adesanya's Dricus Du Plessis prediction
Robert Whittaker is scheduled to face the surging South African Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 on July 8. It has not officially been declared a title eliminator bout by the promotion, but all signs point to the winner of the fight facing Israel Adesanya next.
'The Last Stylebender' shared his thoughts on Whittaker vs. Du Plessis during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, where he stated that he would "manifest" a first-round victory for 'Stillknocks'.
Robert Whittaker was informed of Israel Adesanya's comments during a recent interview with Submission Radio. 'The Reaper' believes that his former opponent is not eager to face him in the octagon again and hence the prediction.
Whittaker said:
"I'm sure he wants Du Plessis to win so that [Adesanya] can fight him instead of myself."
Watch the interview below from 2:05:
Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya have met twice in the octagon, with 'The Last Stylebender' winning both fights.
Adesanya defeated 'The Reaper' via second-round TKO at UFC 243 in 2019 to become the undisputed middleweight champion. The pair met again three years later at UFC 271, where Adesanya won a narrow decision.
Their second fight was highly competitive, and Robert Whittaker proved to be 'the best of the rest' at 185 pounds.
'The Reaper' believes that Adesanya hopes to face Du Plessis next as he is an easier matchup for 'The Last Stylebender' than Whittaker.
Robert Whittaker reflects on Jared Cannonier's incredible win over Marvin Vettori
Robert Whittaker was blown away by Jared Cannonier's immense performance against Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Vegas 75 last weekend.
Cannonier set a new divisional record for the most significant strikes landed in a fight (241) and bolstered his chances of fighting for the title once again.
'The Reaper' commended 'The Killa Gorilla' for his game plan, but he did note that it almost cost him the fight in Round 1 when Vettori had him badly hurt on the feet.
During episode #15 of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker said:
"[Cannonier's] new game plan of going in there, pushing the pace whilst still switching stances was dangerous. And he almost got slept because of it."
'The Reaper' continued:
"His game plan started working. [Cannonier] started winning the attrition battle, winning the cardio battle and slowing Vettori down. And once Vettori started slowing down, Vettori wasn't landing any more effective strikes."
Watch the video below from 6:30: