Anthony Smith explains why he believes Robert Whittaker won rounds 3, 4, and 5 in rematch against Israel Adesanya
Anthony Smith believes Robert Whittaker should have had his hand raised after his fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 271.
After losing their first encounter via second-round KO, 'The Reaper' put on a much-improved performance to push Adesanya to the limit in their rematch. However, the Australian fell short, dropping a razor-close unanimous decision.
During the latest episode of the Believe You Me Podcast, Anthony Smith told Michael Bisping that he felt Robert Whittaker had done enough to win the last three rounds against Israel Adesanya. Smith said:
"First round, clearly Adesanya. I don't think that there's too much debate there. I think the fifth round was clearly Robert Whittaker. I think two was the swing round, you could go either way. I can see the argument for both. But three I thought was clearly Whittaker... For 4:15 seconds, Whittaker controlled that entire round. Izzy came on real strong and had a heavy 45 seconds. ... I'm not willing to give Adesanya that entire round for 45 seconds of dominant work... I thought four was pretty much what was going on in three but he got a takedown."
Check out the latest episode of the Believe You Me podcast below:
Michael Bisping feels Robert Whittaker should return to welterweight and challenge Kamaru Usman
Several analysts have argued that Robert Whittaker did enough in his rematch against Israel Adesanya to get a third crack at the middleweight champion down the road. However, Michael Bisping believes that 'The Reaper' might be better served by turning his attention to the welterweight division.
During a Q&A on his YouTube channel, 'The Count' stated that a fight between Whittaker and Kamaru Usman would be beneficial for both parties since 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is also in need of fresh opponents. Bisping believes that a Whittaker-Usman bout would garner fan interest:
"There's a really good option [Kamaru Usman] because I know Robert said he's going to come back. I know he said he'll be back, and I know he said Izzy knows that he'll be seeing him again. And I know it's fair to say that Robert is the number two middleweight on the planet. He is; he just can't beat Adesanya. Going back down to welterweight, yeah? Usman needs fresh meat. I think Whittaker and Usman match up very well and that would sell massively. That would be a great fight."
Check out the clip:
Since he's lost twice to Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker might need to defeat a string of contenders to earn another title shot. A move to welterweight could give him a fresh coat of paint and a shorter route to championship gold.