L. Rockhold (photo) liked Whittaker's performance Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
it's not just Michael Bisping that you intend to face Robert whittaker. Former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold was another to have been impressed with the performance of the New Zealander, who dominated Ronaldo Jacare at UFC Kansas last Saturday (15). The North American said he knew Whittaker was superior at striking, but said he was surprised by the fighter's calmness when defending himself on the ground against the Brazilian's legendary jiu-jitsu.
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“He’s tough, he’s got heavy hands and he’s fast. I knew he would finish Jacaré in striking. The question was, how good is his takedown defense? When he was taken to the ground, Whittaker managed to remain calm, closed off and got out of the situation. So, there's nothing bad to say about the boy. He seems to have a very solid game. I was impressed”, commented Rockhold, on the North American radio program “Submission Radio”.
Without fighting since UFC 199, in June last year, when he lost the middleweight title to Bisping, the American seems determined to return at UFC 213, an event that will take place on July 8, in Las Vegas. Rockhold was so impressed with Whittaker that he asked for a duel with the New Zealander for his return to the Octagon.
“I'm 100% prepared, I'm hungry and July 8th will be my day. Why not the Robert whittaker? The boy is in great shape. He seems to be fine, in one piece, and I think a fight between us makes perfect sense. The boy wants to have his chance to fight for the belt, he has a lot of faces lined up and I also want to have my opportunity again. I love the competition and appreciate what the kid has done so far. I want to test myself and test him”, concluded the former champion.
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