Robert Whittaker feels the trilogy with Israel Adesanya will not be happening, due to him being the “biggest threat” to the UFC middleweight champion’s reign.
I’m the hardest fight in the division for Adesanya: Robert Whittaker
Following Adesanya’s win over Alex Pereira at UFC 287, which reinstated him as the 185-pound champ, Dana White announced that Robert Whittaker, the former middleweight titleholder, would be facing Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, with the winner earning the next title shot.
Following that announcement, there have been some verbal back and forth between Adesanya and du Plessis, but Whittaker believes Adesanya is only calling out du Plessis is because he doesn’t want the trilogy.
“He doesn’t want to fight me,” said Whittaker during a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia. “I’m the hardest fight in the division for him. That first one, not so good for me. The second one, nearly. This third one though, I have a really good feeling I am.”
“I’ve been evolving every fight, you can see it. If you watch back my fights, every fight I’ve been getting better. I think I’m the biggest threat to him and his reign at the present moment. So, of course he wants him (Du Plessis) to win. It’s a much easier fight, but it doesn’t bother me,” he added. [H/T MMA Junkie]
Whittaker and Adesanya locked horns for the first time back in 2019 at UFC 243, when Whittaker was the reigning middleweight champ and Adesanya was the newly crowned interim champion. They had their rematch at UFC 271 in February last year, with Adesanya going 2-0 over Whittaker.
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