Robert Whittaker joined some rather elite entertainment company after UFC 234 — which is set to go down this Saturday night (Feb. 9, 2019) inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia — sold out in a matter of minutes.
Whitaker will defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight title against Kelvin Gastelum in the headlining act. But according to Israel Adesanya, it’s actually his co-main event fight against Anderson Silva that made the show a success.
“I’m just going to do me, and Whittaker, that’s his Christmas gift for the next five years; [it’s] me being on this card with Anderson that made the show sell out in 15 minutes,” Adesanya told ESPN.
”This show wouldn’t have sold out the way it did without me and Anderson, so he’s [Whittaker] welcome. He gets the pay-per-view points, he gets the accolades and what not. And yeah, good for him, he knows what’s up, even he knows it. So he can enjoy it for the next 10 years.”
There is no denying Israel has burst onto the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene in a rather impressive manner, and facing off against a former, longtime division king and living legend doesn’t hurt ticket sales, either.
That said, I think it’s safe to assume that all of the Aussies bought tickets in record time to see their hometown hero defend his world title on his home turf for the very first time. Nevertheless, should “The Last Stylebender” put on a show against “The Spider,’ he will likely get his chance to face off against Whittaker if “Reaper” takes out Gastelum.
To see the latest UFC 234: ‘Whittaker vs Gastelum” fight card click here.