Former UFC middleweight champion Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker believes in the man who dethroned him. Whittaker knows better than most how dangerous Israel Adesanya can be, and ahead of Adesanya’s title defense at UFC 281 this weekend, Whittaker backed his old rival to retain the belt. Whittaker explained his reasoning in an interview with Fox Sports.
Whittaker, when asked who he would bet on for this weekend’s main event, made the case for “The Last Stylebender”.
Whittaker Backs Old Foe Adesanya
“Really, hard to say. Because I think this is a 50/50 fight. But if I was betting my house, I would have to say Israel. Because in a fight like this, the defensive fighter is definitely the safer play. And what Adesanya does well – defensive striking, using his range, reach and height to its best advantage – he does it so well. Not only that, it’s super effective against everyone.
So he hasn’t needed to change things up. It works on everyone. As I said, Adesanya is the safer bet. He’s a defensive striker and also the champ. If it’s a closer decision, it usually leans toward the champ.”
But as I said, I think it’s a 50/50 fight. Whittaker continued, pointing out that Adesanya’s defensive, tactically sound style has helped him retain the belt. Whittaker also knows how lethal Adesanya’s striking can be if you get caught moving forward, as “The Reaper” found out when he lost the middleweight title to Adesanya.
“I don’t think we’ll see anything different with him. Like I said, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. He uses his defensive striking super effectively.
And if he starts landing shots then he becomes offensive, and that’s another feather in his cap. He’s smart enough to know that if something works, if it gets you the win, he will do it at any cost.”
Robert Whittaker is currently 0-2 against Adesanya, losing their second fight by a narrow decision. He is set to face Paulo Costa next, and will hope to string together enough wins over the middleweight elite to establish himself for another UFC title charge.
Whether Whittaker can do this after losing the belt, and failing to recapture it so recently, is another story. Perhaps more interesting is how he would fare if Alex Pereira were to earn a victory over Adesanya this weekend, giving Whittaker the opportunity to recapture his belt against a new opponent.
Do you agree with Robert Whittaker? Let us know in the comments.
