Robert Whittaker confident he beats Israel Adesanya next time out
After Israel Adesanya’s big win over Alex Pereira last weekend at UFC 287, a number of names have been suggested as his next opponent. Robert Whittaker, however, has largely been overlooked.
Robert Whittaker is still ranked at #2 in the UFC’s middleweight division, behind only Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. Unfortunately, for the 'Reaper', though, his prior losses to ‘The Last Stylebender’ seem to be keeping him out of title contention.
Israel Adesanya is once again king at middleweight after #UFC287, but what comes next? Pereira trilogy? DDP? Khamzat? Whittaker?
@MikeBohn breaks down the potential options. https://t.co/jVlok6zBvG
Judging by a recent appearance on RJ Clifford’s MMA Today show on SiriusXM, that’s something that doesn’t really sit right with the Australian star.
Whittaker was asked about his next fight, and quickly stated that the UFC had told him that they’d be waiting until after Adesanya’s clash with Pereira last weekend to decide.
After admitting that the best thing for him would’ve been for ‘Poatan’ to defeat Adesanya, setting up a title bout between him and the Brazilian, ‘The Reaper’ then stated that he wants to take the title back from ‘The Last Stylebender’.
“I want to take the title back from Izzy...I want to beat Izzy...I didn’t realise how bad I want that until watching that fight...it wasn’t until Izzy won that I was happy for him...because I want to take the win from Izzy...”
He then compared his own quest to defeat Adesanya with the one that ‘The Last Stylebender’ went on to defeat Pereira.
“I’m gonna keep trying until I do (beat Adesanya)...Izzy got four attempts at beating Pereira and getting redemption, and I’m almost certain I’ll only need three.”
"Izzy had 4 attempts at beating Pereira... I am almost certain that I'll only need 3."
While watching Izzy/Pereira 2, @robwhittakermma says he realized how much he cares about beating Israel Adesanya, specifically, for the MW title.
Source: MMA Today | @RJcliffordMMA https://t.co/KGsYt26GJf
Whittaker’s last fight saw him defeat former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision. He was most recently linked with a bout against Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in February, although that fight later fell through.
What happened when Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya fought in the UFC?
Robert Whittaker’s first fight with Israel Adesanya took place in Melbourne, Victoria as the headliner of UFC 243 in October 2019.
Whittaker came in as the reigning UFC middleweight champion and had not lost a fight in over five years. However, he was largely outclassed by ‘The Last Stylebender’, who knocked him out in the second round to become the new champion.
Naija stand up! HE'S DONE IT!
@Stylebender finishes Whittaker in the 2nd round! Wow! #UFC243 https://t.co/IS1f8lL8Lt
‘The Reaper’ bounced back from his loss by defeating Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, setting up a rematch with Adesanya in February 2022.
However, despite performing much better the second time around, Whittaker still came away with a defeat on his record. He was edged out by Adesanya over five rounds, eventually losing a unanimous decision.
Watch highlights of Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 below