“Keep giving him rematches?” Robert Whittaker asks bosses to ‘relax’ over handing Israel Adesanya another ‘silly’ rematch against Sean Strickland 

Former champion Robert Whittaker does not agree with the opinion to give an immediate rematch to Israel Adesanya.

“Keep giving him rematches?” Robert Whittaker asks bosses to ‘relax’ over handing Israel Adesanya another ‘silly’ rematch against Sean Strickland 

Robert Whittaker thinks Israel Adesanya does not deserve a rematch (via Imago)

Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title at UFC 293. Sean Strickland solved the puzzle of Adesanya and dominated him in four out of the five rounds. The MMA media are discussing the necessity for an immediate rematch for Adesanya. Though most expressed interest in moving on to another contender, Dana White wants to cash in on a rematch. Fierce rival and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker gave his opinion.

Robert Whittaker came on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour to talk about the new landscape of the division. He said, “I think its silly if Izzy gets an immediate rematch. You have to ask, like, is it guaranteed to keep letting him having rematches if he loses?” Whittaker reasoned that Adesanya did not defend his title in his new reign as the champion. Hence, Adesanya did not deserve an immediate rematch.

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Whittaker fought Adesanya twice in his career and came up short both times. Adesanya knocked out Whittaker in 2019 via KO to win the middleweight belt. Two years later, they rematched in a closely contested bout that ultimately Adesanya won. Whittaker came very close to challenging Adesanya for a third time. However, Dricus Du Plessis stopped him at UFC 290.

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Fans want Dricus to challenge Strickland for the title. Dana White wants to do the rematch between Strickland and Adesanya. Khamzat Chimaev, Paulo Costa, and Jared Cannonier also wait in the wings. The future of the middleweight division looks exciting. Fight fans will get more clarity in the coming weeks.

Related: “You saved that man’s life,” Sean Strickland’s coach reveals CR*ZY chat with Israel Adesanya after beating Nigerian champ

Fans react to Robert Whittaker’s opinion about Israel Adesanya’s rematch

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker (Image Courtesy – Sports Illustrated)

Whittaker criticized the option to give Adesanya the rematch for the title. Dana White remains interested in giving the rematch to Adesanya. Fans went on X to react to the opinion of Robert Whittaker. Check out some of the fan reactions:

Fans agreed with Whittaker’s argument. They also wanted to see the division move on. Whittaker will require at least two wins to get back into title contention. He could fight by the end of the year or the beginning of the next one.

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