With Israel Adesanya recapturing the middleweight title at UFC 287, Robert Whittaker finds himself in a precarious position.
The Reaper’ was hoping to secure himself a title opportunity had Alex Pereira successfully defended the 185-pound crown last Saturday night. Instead, ‘The Last Stylebender’ delivered a showstopping second-round knockout to become just the fourth fighter in UFC history to reclaim their title in an immediate rematch. With the gold firmly back around the waist of Adesanya, Robert Whittaker is wondering where he goes from here.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Robert Whittaker discussed the path that would have led him back to the middleweight title and a trilogy bout with Israel Adesanya. Instead, Whittaker is at a standstill as both Alex Pereira and ‘The Last Stylebender’ eye a potential run at light heavyweight.
“I’m in a tricky position, I know this, especially with Izzy winning that fight,” Whittaker said. “I know the path that the UFC had was for Pereira to win, me to fight Pereira, beat Pereira, Izzy to fight me okay. That’s the rematch they wanted, that’s how they wanted it to happen, I’m pretty sure, okay… Now, Izzy’s won, where does that leave me? Don’t think Pereira’s staying at middleweight, okay… So where does that leave me? I don’t know” (h/t MMA News)
"….It took Izzy four times to get his redemption arc against Alex Pereira, ….it will only take me 3 I guarantee you that …" – Robert Whittaker
Interesting how Izzy inspired his peers to keep trying against him.
Never give up folks keep wrestling him.
pic.twitter.com/uk9ls6R51a
— Jimmy Luke (@Joshjoshmma) April 12, 2023
A Trilogy Fight Between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya is a Hard Sell Considering Their History
Robert Whittaker has gone to-toe-to with Adesanya on two separate occasions, the first coming at UFC 243 in 2019. ‘The Reaper’ surrendered the middleweight championship to ‘Stylebender’ that night, suffering a second-round knockout. Working his way back to a rematch, Whittaker fared much better the second time around, but still came up short, losing their UFC 271 clash via a decisive unanimous decision.
“I want to fight Izzy for the belt, and I want to take the belt off Izzy,” Whittaker continued. “That’s what I want to do. I do have a lot of respect for his skillset, and I’ve mentioned that before. I’ve mentioned it to his face. But I know it’s a puzzle I can work out, and it excites me. The challenge of trying to beat him, of getting back the belt from him, it’s a driving force for me. I enjoy that, and I’m never gonna stop hunting him. Ever. Ever. That’s just what I want to do until I get that W back from him. That’s what I want.”
Having already tried and failed to solve the puzzle that is Israel Adesanya on two separate occasions, giving him a third opportunity is a hard sell. It becomes even more difficult as the ‘Stylebender’ is primed for another run at becoming a two-division UFC champion. Should Adesanya go hunting for more championship gold, Robert Whittaker could find himself in line for an interim title opportunity, but that is pure speculation at this point.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the middleweight division, who would you like to see Robert Whittaker face next?