UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is extremely confident he’ll get the job done this weekend (Sat. February 9, 2019) against Kelvin Gastelum.
The Aussie is preparing for what would be his first official middleweight title defense. He fought Yoel Romero in a five-round main event last summer, which was not for the title after Romero missed weight. Now, he’ll face Gastelum, who earned his title opportunity with wins over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Whittaker previewed his match-up against the former Ultimate Fighter winner. “Bobby Knuckles” believes he’s simply “too strong” for the former welterweight competitor:
“I see myself hitting Kelvin until he falls. I’m just too strong for him, too fast; I hit too hard. I’m better in every single way …. and I’m really going to hurt the guy. Look it’s a fight so who knows? Anything can happen.
“But I can tell you I’m coming into this [Saturday] in the greatest form of my fighting career. And that’s a scary prospect for Kelvin. Because even on my worst day I’m an extremely dangerous fighter.
“Right now, my stand up game is at an highest. It’s become a real strength for me, I’m ready to go.”
UFC 234 will certainly have some middleweight bouts to keep your eye on. Especially in the co-main event, which could produce the next challenger for the title. Rising star Israel Adesanya will step into the Octagon against former middleweight king Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Adesanya is undefeated in his MMA career, last knocking out Derek Brunson in the first round of their bout at Madison Square Garden in November. He’s looking for the biggest win of his career, in what he hopes to be a highlight-reel finish of one of the greatest middleweights of all time.
UFC 234 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia this Saturday night.
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