Sean Strickland reveals who he believes will win the rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271

Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker 2 official poster (left), Sean Strickland (right) [Credits: @robwhittakermma via Instagram]

Sean Strickland recently spoke about the upcoming title fight between Robert Whittaker and reigning middleweight king Israel Adesanya.

Strickland picked Israel Adesanya to defend his title and beat Robert Whittaker once again when the two square off at UFC 271.

Strickland also spoke about his future in the UFC. He revealed his interest in fighting the winner of Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier, which will take place at UFC 270 next year.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Sean Strickland said:

"If, what's that guy's name? Good striker, he's fighting Derek Brunson, [Jared Cannonier]. Yeah, if Bronson wins I think I should get the title shot if I beat Jack [Hermansson] and if Cannonier wins, he deserves it... Whittaker isn't going to beat Izzy. No offense Whittaker, you're a savage and I'm a fan but he ain't going to beat him."

Robert Whittaker is finally getting his long-awaited and highly anticipated title shot against the guy who snatched his title at UFC 243 back in 2019. Apart from his loss against Israel Adesanya, 'The Reaper' has not lost a fight since 2014 and has not been beaten in the middleweight division.

Israel Adesanya x Robert Whittaker 2 is official for Feb. 12 in Houston, per the broadcast.

After his disastrous title-fight defeat, the Australian was quick to climb his way back to a title shot by defeating elite middleweight contenders like Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

Here are the opening odds for Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2:

Israel Adesanya -200 (1/2)
Robert Whittaker +170 (17/10)

(odds via @betonline_ag) 🏆 #UFC271 https://t.co/DWjIsSFzF0

Kelvin Gastelum predicts the outcome of Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker

Kelvin Gastelum recently spoke about the upcoming title fight between his two former opponents, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.

Israel Adesanya's coach snapped up by the UFC #HeraldPremium nzherald.co.nz/sport/ufc-city… https://t.co/2GBXZvDMa3

Surprisingly, Gastelum picked the Australian to beat Adesanya and take his middleweight crown.

He said:

"Nobody has made me feel that Whittaker made me feel. He was just operating on a different frequency and nobody has ever made me feel that way. I was outclassed... Not even Adesanya made me do that, you know? So I think if Whittaker fights to the way he fought me, back in April, I think it's got all the opportunity to win that [fight]."

Watch the interview below:

Having fought both, Kelvin Gastelum is willing to place his bets on Robert Whittaker. However, the Mexican-American had a war against Israel Adesanya when he lost to the Nigerian native in a fight for the interim-middleweight championship at UFC 236.

Watch the highlights of the fight below: