“I like the idea of 205 pounds” Chael Sonnen discusses the next big move for Robert Whittaker
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Chael Sonnen (L), Robert Whittaker (R)
Robert Whittaker and Colby Covington are prime examples of what a No.1 contender should look like. Better than everyone else, but not quite the best, both of the fighters belong to the upper echelons of the sport.
Robert Whittaker has only lost to Israel Adesanya in the past 8 years. Before Adesanya, Whittaker was the champion. Considering some of the names Whittaker has beat – Darren Till, Yoel Romero and now, Marvin Vettori, to say the least; he probably would have been champion if Israel Adesanya did not exist.
Sadly, that is not the case, as Adesanya has defeated his Aussie counterpart twice in the last 3 years, one coming via a spectacular knockout that made Whittaker forever belong to the former’s highlight reel.
Coming off the second loss to Adesanya, Whittaker has bounced back marvellously, defeating Marvin Vettori in a convincing fashion – two judges had the fight 30-27.
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“There’s not a clear strategy to beat the son of a gun” Chael Sonnen gives massive props to Robert Whittaker after completely outclassing Marvin Vettori
It seems like Robert Whittaker is stuck in limbo right now. He has been bested by the man the Middleweight division hails champion, and he has defeated just about everyone below him in the standings. Much like Covington, there’s a lack of space for the Australian to manoeuvre. That spot becomes even less elastic if Israel Adesanya can defeat old foe, Alex Pereira, as Pereira would then probably fall down the rankings from where he is now – Number 4.
Chael Sonnen, in a YouTube video posted to his channel, heaped massive praise while discussing the Australian. Specifically, he said that Whittaker is good at everything a mixed martial artist should be good at, and that “there’s not a clear strategy to beat the son of a gun… I’m going to take Whittaker down… Good luck with that! Did you see Yoel Romero try it? I’m going to grind him out and get him tired… Good luck with that, tell me the last time Whittaker lost the fifth round! I’m going to go there and outstrike him… C’mon! Only guy to ever outstrike him is Adesanya Part 1!”
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Discussing what his next move could be, given that he just lost the rematch to Adesanya this year, Sonnen said, “I like the idea of him going up to 205 pounds.” The catch there, however, according to Sonnen is that “he might be too short and too light.” Additionally, Chael Sonnen believes that Whittaker isn’t too serious about moving up a division.
Given that Robert Whittaker is stuck in a spot hard to move out of, it could be that the Australian sticks to being the gateway for the champion for the time being. Paulo Costa has called Whittaker out, and that could be the next interesting, yet vital match-up in the Middleweight division.
But first, Israel Adesanya faces old-foe Alex Pereira on October 12 at MSG, New York, in a bid to defend his title. The story has been interesting till now – Pereira has defeated the Nigerian-Kiwi twice before (albeit, in kickboxing bouts). The bout could shape the Middleweight division for the coming few years, and also play a part in Robert Whittaker’s path back to the title, that he held before the current Middleweight king ousted him.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)