"Who let this guy in?" - Robert Whittaker staggered by the sheer size of "giant" Alex Pereira but feels he is a "better matchup" for him than Israel Adesanya

Robert Whittaker is already looking forward to facing Alex Pereira in the future and believes that he matches up better against the Brazilian than Israel Adesanya. However, Whittaker also proclaimed his awe at the size of 'Poatan' and even called him a "giant."

At the recent UFC 284 ticket on-sale press conference, the No.1-ranked middleweight was asked about his thoughts on facing Pereira in the future. He said:

"I can say that I think Pereira is a better matchup for me than Israel [Adesanya], just 'cause of the way he stands, the way he likes to push forward and the way he likes to fight. I feel like that gives me a better edge."

Whittaker then humorously expressed his astonishment at Pereira's size:

"Did you see the size of the fellow? Why is nobody mentioning that? Dude is a giant. He's an absolute giant... Then you see Pereira up against him [Israel Adesanya] and just his facial features are bigger. His feet, hands and forearms are massive. I'm just thinking, who let this guy in?"

Jed I. Goodman ©

@jedigoodman

Robert Whittaker on Alex Pereira: Did ya see the size of the fella?
#UFC284

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Robert Whittaker on Alex Pereira: Did ya see the size of the fella?
#UFC284 https://t.co/jWyKHqGF1z

'The Reaper' is all set to face Paulo Costa at UFC 284 on February 12 in Perth, Australia. Whittaker will take on Costa in a three-round bout that will be the co-main event of the evening.

Whittaker is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa in Paris in September. It was his first fight back since losing to then-champion Israel Adesanya in a rematch at UFC 271 in February.

Meanwhile, Costa broke his two-fight losing streak after defeating Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August. The pair of defeats came against Adesanya and Vettori and are the only two losses of the Brazilian's career so far.

Robert Whittaker

@robwhittakermma

Once more into the fray. #UFCPerth #UFC284 #ReaperNation @ufc @UFC_AUSNZ

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Once more into the fray. #UFCPerth #UFC284 #ReaperNation @ufc @UFC_AUSNZ https://t.co/qC8AEtcCEo

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Henry Cejudo believes Alex Pereira should face Robert Whittaker next instead of Israel Adesanya

Henry Cejudo is of the opinion that Alex Pereira should make his first title defense against Robert Whittaker instead of an immediate rematch against Israel Adesanya.

'Triple C' recently posted a video on his YouTube channel discussing the results of UFC 281 and future matchups. Cejudo stated that he thinks Pereira should face Whittaker next and let Adesanya rest and recuperate:

"I think that fight's a good fight for both of them. I do believe that Robert Whittaker is the biggest threat to any of those 185-pounders other than Israel - Israel tends to be his kryptonite but I can see Robert Whittaker challenging Alex in a very compelling way. His distance game, the fact that he'll blitz and he'll probably look for takedowns."

Watch Henry Cejudo's full video below:

While there is no official indication of who will fight 'Poatan' in his first title defense, there is wide speculation about Adesanya getting his immediate rematch. Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker is gearing up to face Costa at UFC 284 in the co-main event.

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