R,Whittaker after UFC fight. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The “lightning” journey of Alex Poatán towards the very likely fight for the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg) took a lot of people by surprise, including the former champion Robert whittaker. In an interview with “Submission Radio”, the Australian expressed surprise, but said he expected a “fun fight” between the Brazilian and the champion Israel adesanya.
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“I was surprised by how quickly (Alex) Pereira shot up the rankings to get to the title shot. But really, I think it's a good fight. It's a good fight to marry two tall striking guys. I've been in that situation before and I think it's going to be fun,” said Whittaker.
Despite understanding the motivation behind the eminent duel between Israel adesanya e Alex Poatán, as the two have a rivalry from their kickboxing days, Robert whittaker believes that other athletes in the middleweight division could present difficulties in possible duels against the Brazilian.
“There are a lot of other guys who would give him a really tough fight, but things are what they are. This fight will happen. He was well placed, his clashes were well placed, the opponents were handpicked and he got there. They built this fight around the whole issue of the rematch and it’s going to be a great show”, said the former champion.
Lastly, Robert whittaker admitted that, thinking about the possibility of competing again for the middleweight belt, he sees a victory Alex Poatán as an ideal result in the duel against Israel adesanya.
“Maybe it's better for Alex to win because it makes it easier for me to get the title fight. Getting the trilogy with Izzy is a lot harder than getting a first fight with Alex, so I'm inclined to root for him using intelligence. But in my heart of hearts, I really don’t care,” he finished.
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