Whittaker predicts a duel against Adesanya: 'I'll win in the second or third round'

R. Whittaker (photo) states that he sees flaws in I.Adasanya's game. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook ufc

One of the most anticipated fights of the year is the meeting between Robert whittaker e Israel adesanya, for the unification of the middleweight title (up to 83,9kg.). The meeting between the fighters is scheduled to take place on October 6th, representing the main fight of the UFC 243, in Australia. For the linear champion, the fight will not reach the judges' decision. In an interview with 'Triple M's The Rush Hour', Whittaker stated that he learned lessons from his next rival's clash against Kelvin Gastelum and commented on his expectations for the fight.

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“That's the biggest thing I took away from the meeting between Adesanya and Gastelum. If Gastelum can get his hands on him (Israel), I can get my hands on him. Honestly, I think I'm going to knock him out. I'm definitely going for the knockout, but I think I'll get it somewhere in the second or third round,” said Robert.

To face Adesanya, Whittaker will have to ignore the fact that he hasn't had an official fight in a year. The athlete performed his last performance in June last year, when he beat the Cuban Yoel romero, which was recently defeated by Paulo borrachinha at UFC 240. The Australian, who has dealt with several injuries for a long period, will share the Octagon with an athlete who has had five fights in less than two years.

At 30 years old, Israel is one of the athletes who remains undefeated in his professional career. He, who was previously seen as one of the great promises of the sport, became a reality by defeating important opponents, such as the Brazilian Anderson Silva and recently, Kelvin Gastelum, for the interim division title.

Adesanya's last commitment showed that the fighter has extreme quality by playing, together with Kelvin, a spectacular duel, which certainly marked one of the best fights of the year in the UFC.

Robert, despite the period of inactivity, is experiencing a great moment in his career. The fighter has gone nine fights without being defeated. His last setback came in February 2014, when he was overcome by Stephen Thompson, UFC 270. Since then, the Australian has achieved a great sequence of victories until reaching the category title, vacated after the abdication of Georges St Pierre.

Whittaker has 24 fights in his professional record. In total, the fighter has 20 victories and four defeats.