Robert Whittaker wants to face old foe Israel Adesanya: “I can play it differently this time”

Robert Whittaker wants to face old foe Israel Adesanya: “I can play it differently this time”
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker gets another shot at Israel Adesanya and subsequently the middlweight title. He earned the opportunity by defeating defeating Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision over the course of three grueling rounds at UFC 254. It was a a brilliant performance put on by Whittaker, who dominated Cannonier throughout the match. Speaking to the media at the UFC 254 post-fight press conference, Whittaker opened up on his victorious performance on the night. Additionally, he weighed in on a potential rematch with Adesanya.

Whittaker viewing a March or April 2021 return

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Whittaker’s previous fight was a unanimous decision win over Darren Till earlier this year. He has now managed to string together a two-fight winning streak by picking up back-to-back wins against Till and Cannonier respectively. Robert Whittaker asserted that he was very happy about his performance in the UFC 254 matchup against Cannonier. Whittaker added that he had the discipline to stick with the game-plan and it paid off, as he successfully overcame the challenge posed by Cannonier.

His latest victory puts him on a direct path to a battle with middleweight champion Adesanya. And Whittaker claims he’s “desparate” for the rematch. He noted that Adesanya is a hard fight and that the latter looked even better in his last bout.

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“He beat me once already. But I feel like I’ve got a couple of tricks I can roll out. I feel like I can play it differently this time.” Whittaker said. He further stated, “I do want to fight him (Israel Adesanya) one day, whether it’s in my career or in the parking lot as two old fellows one day. Yeah, I feel like our paths will cross again. And as a warrior, it’s something I need to do. But I’m not worried about who I fight next. My whole mentality with this game is that you line them up and I’ll knock them down. I’m pretty good at that.”

Furthermore, Whittaker explained that he intends to return to the Octagon in March or April of 2021. Will the rematch take place? Only time can tell.

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