Robert Whittaker details the dangers Israel Adesanya poses for UFC 271 title rematch
The reason behind Israel Adesanya's seemingly unending success in the UFC's middleweight division is not lost on Robert Whittaker. He recently revealed some of the biggest challenges he may face in his title fight against 'The Last Stylebender'.
While in conversation with TMZ Sports, Whittaker cited the Kiwi's reach and his evasiveness as the biggest and most effective tools in his arsenal.
Whittaker admitted that Israel Adesanya is a tough opponent to hit. Whittaker added that his reach advantage also makes it difficult for his opponents to get close enough to land hard strikes to stun him:
"Yeah, you know, his reach, how hard it is to lay hands on him, you know, his evasiveness. He's a hard guy to hit, and he's got longer arms, you know. That poses a problem in itself."
When asked about how his plan to overcome these challenges, Whittaker said:
"Naturally, the thing is to get inside his reach. But that's trickier. That's harder said than done. It's harder to actually do. But we have a game plan to try and get that done."
Check out Robert Whittaker's interaction with TMZ Sports right here:
Robert Whittaker believes he'll win if he doesn't get caught by Israel Adesanya again
Robert Whittaker's upcoming UFC 271 clash against Israel Adesanya marks their second meeting inside the octagon. Their first fight saw 'The Last Stylebender' finish Whittaker in the second round.
Adesanya cracked 'The Reaper' towards the end of the first round, sending him sprawling on the canvas. However, Whittaker was saved by the bell.
Adesanya drops Whittaker as the horn sounds in round 1! Wow!
#UFC243 https://t.co/lR0ss8amj8
Undettered, the Australian entered the second frame looking to apply pressure on Adesanya. However, he was dropped by the Kiwi again with several punches.
In addition to the win, Adesanya's performance earned him the coveted UFC middleweight strap. It appears Whittaker will err on the side of caution this time around.
He asserted that he is going to emerge triumphant as long as he doesn't get caught by Adesanya. He offered fans more insight into the same in a video that uploaded to his YouTube channel recently:
"If I don't get caught, if I don't get caught in this fight, I don't lose this one. Not getting caught is like that hard part. F***ing caught me twice in the first round, so it's tricky. It's not as easy as I'm making it sound. But if I don't get caught, if I don't get dropped then I'll win this."
Check out Robert Whittaker's video below:
Israel Adesanya and 'The Reaper' are set to lock horns in the headliner of the UFC 271 fight card at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, February 12.