Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker believes he should be next in line to challenge for the middleweight title, regardless of who wins at UFC 281.
Israel Adesanya will be defending his championship against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in Madison Square Garden. This is the first time the two will meet inside the cage, however they have met twice inter kickboxing days. Pereira walked away victorious in both those bouts, and many believe that he may be the fighter to bring an end to Adesanya’s reign of terror.
Whittaker is unsure on who he believes will win the matchup, as he has a ton of respect for Adesanya. He recently spoke in an interview and gave his thoughts on the fight.
“That’ s a tricky fight to pin down,” Whittaker said. “If I was a betting man I think I’d go with Adesanya. I think you have to. He’s the best defensive striker in the game. Physically, it just makes perfect sense for him to fight that way, and he’s a tricky guy to hit. But Pereira is huge man. He’s a huge guy. And they’ve fought before so they have some sort of understanding of each other’s reach. The biggest factor and variable in this fight is going to be the small gloves.” (Transcribed by MiddleEasy)
Regardless of who wins the fight, Robert Whittaker believes he has done enough to earn another shot at the title
Whittaker is coming off a dominant win over Marvin Vettori. He beat him in all three rounds and won by unanimous decision. Whittaker had his way with Vettori the entire bout, while also displaying tremendous defense. Whittaker’s only losses in the UFC middleweight division, have come by the hands of Adesanya. He was asked whether he believes he will get the next shot at the strap.
“Definitely. I have more than proven that I am the dude. I’m that guy that’s lurking, that’s hunting that gold. And I’ve proven to everyone that my level is just that high.”
Do you think Whittaker will get the next shot at the title?