Israel adesanya e Dricus Du Plessis in the octagon of UFC 290 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
New middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg), Dricus Du Plessis wasted no time and, soon after winning the belt over Sean Strickland, last Saturday (20), challenged his rival and former champion Israel adesanya to return from her career hiatus and face it. With experience against both, Robert whittaker gave his opinion regarding the possible duel.
During a recent appearance on 'The MMA Hour', a podcast from the North American website 'MMA Fighting', Whittaker, who has already been defeated by both athletes, stated that he considers Dricus Du Plessis favorite for a possible clash against Israel adesanya.
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“I would say DDP (Dricus Du Plessis). Just like the fight between Sean (Strickland) and Dricus, the safe bet would be Sean, but Dricus showed what he wanted to do and what he would be willing to go through. Could he do it again against Izzy (Adesanya)? Who knows? But he's a tough guy. He's strange and will pressure you all the time. It doesn't matter if he gets hit, he showed tenacity in that fight. So I would bet on DDP,” said Whittaker.
Robert whittaker spent almost ten years without knowing what it was like to lose to someone not named Israel adesanya, against whom he had two defeats in title fights, until he was also knocked out because Dricus Du Plessis in July this year. In the opinion of the naturalized Australian New Zealander, the South African's unique and unpredictable style is what makes him so dangerous.
“As someone who has faced Dricus, I understand how strange it is to fight him. Everyone who saw the fight can tell you how weird he looked. He was throwing overhands from the first second to the last and making combinations from them (laughs). I've never seen anyone combine an overhand left with an overhand right! This guy is strange, he changes his base all the time in the fight, he presses, he's very tough and he accepts receiving blows all the time to connect with his own. Now, I thought Sean (Strickland) could win the decision, keeping him at bay with jabs. I would think that's the safest bet, but I've never ruled out Dricus because of how strange he can be, as well as tough, strong and hungry for the title. He definitely has skills. His style, as strange as it may be, works. It's his style. His fights aren't the prettiest, but he gets the job done. That's why I love MMA so much, because there are so many ways to climb the mountain. He is an example of that”, he analyzed.
With a scheduled fight against Paulo borrachinha No. UFC 298, in February, Whittaker hopes Du Plessis keeps the belt so he can have the chance to avenge the loss and regain the title in one fell swoop.
“Having lost to Dricus puts him on a list of rematches I want. Him having the belt works for me. Two birds with one stone,” he concluded.
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