(long pause) I’ll worry about that then, honestly, because I’d have to talk it out with my team and if they thought it was the best move, they’d have a hell of a convincing job ahead of them. Certainly [knew Adesanya was good], but it was just reinforced in these last couple of fights,”. “… I think Izzy really controlled him. "I was hoping," said Whittaker, when asked if he felt he was close to a finish. A lot of people are gonna say Paulo Costa didn’t do much, and maybe he didn’t, but Izzy controlled that fight very, very well. "The Notorious" Conor McGregor returns in an attempt to retake the UFC lightweight title from unbeaten champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 229. “He looked good tonight. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Followed [the plan] to a T and got a very classy win.". UFC president Dana White said an Adesanya-Whittaker fight makes sense. In the post-fight, John Morgan stated that Dana White was interested in a re-match with Israel Adesanya for ‘The Reaper’. Whittaker believes the key to victory against Adesanya is to beat the Nigerian-New Zealander at his own game: counter striking. Continue the conversation on the app, join other MMA fans on MMA Fans App, Lewis Hamilton Claims Angela Cullen is the Only “Real Physio” on the F1 Paddock, The fight had massive implications on the title picture at middleweight with the winner is most likely going to fight Israel Adesanya for the title. The champ had picked Cannonier to win on Saturday and be his next title challenger, but Whittaker spoiled those plans. UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Discover what to watch this November including a Marvel docu-series, a '90s reboot, and a Star Wars holiday celebration. UFC: Adesanya-Whittaker rematch 'makes the most sense' After defeating Jared Cannonier at UFC 254, Robert Whittaker may be next in line for middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Whittaker gets UFC 254 win, eyes Adesanya shot, UFC real or not: Adesanya will win light heavyweight title, defend it against Jones, White on Silva loss: 'He should never fight again', White: Adesanya's next fight against Blachowicz, TUF series back for 29th season, to air March '21, White convinced Khabib will unretire, go for 30-0, Mousasi reclaims title, denies Lima second belt, Lawler out of UFC 255 bout vs. Perry, sources say, UFC Fight Night takeaways: Time is right for Anderson Silva to retire; Bryce Mitchell is legit, UFC Fight Night: Bryce Mitchell, Greg Hardy impressive in victories, MMA pound-for-pound rankings: It's unanimous -- Khabib is unsurpassed, Whittaker: Adesanya is the only guy I want to fight, Why Khabib Nurmagomedov is(n't) MMA's GOAT. The pay-per-view, which features a headlining lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, takes place on Oct. 24 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Khabib Nurmagomedov Champion UFC Fight Night Walkout Jersey, Khabib Nurmagomedov Red Eagle Hoodie With Foil, Sean “Sugar” O’Malley Multi-Graphic T-Shirt, Black UFC Fan Gear Pride Fighting T-shirt, UFC Vegas 12: Hall vs. Silva - Winners and Losers, Former TUF winner Katona upset by UFC release, Conor McGregor tells Anderson Silva to ‘keep going!’. My plans are Christmas, my baby, then hopefully our timelines line up then.”, Robert then added that he wants that re-match against Adesanya at some point. Any argument against Whittaker fighting Adesanya again might stem from how “The Last Stylebender” disposed of Whittaker 12 months ago. Though it did not have a record-breaking or an insane submission, it was a hard-fought fight between two of the very best at 185 pounds. “Did I expect him to finish him in that fashion? ‘The Last Stylebender’ had made it very clear that he wants to fight Jared Cannonier next if he was able to beat Whittaker. Whittaker, too, suffered a second round stoppage loss to Adesanya at UFC 243 and, while he might not like the reigning middleweight champ, admits he’s ‘bloody good’ and worthy of the UFC middleweight title. I feel like I can play it differently this time.”, “He’s a tough fight, man. “The Reaper” successfully held his spot in the contenders’ line on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier in the co-main event of UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Whittaker did not expect Adesanya to outclass Costa: ‘I don’t like the guy but he’s bloody good’, Hall says Adesanya picks ‘easy’ fights; champ responds with meme. The event is expected to be headlined by a UFC Featherweight Championship unification bout between current champion José Aldo and interim champion Conor McGregor. “But everything leading up to the finish I saw as a possibility. Whittaker (22-5) defeated Jared Cannonier (13-5) via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 254 on Saturday on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Whittaker is now 2-0 since losing his title to Israel Adesanya in October 2019. Pride and the unofficial "BMF" title is on the line as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz collide in one of the biggest main events of the year. Izzy just controlled that fight. ‘The Reaper’ replied, “Yeah, he’s a tough fight man. Khabib defeats Gaethje, announces retirement It is Whittaker's second win in three months, as he outpointed Darren Till in a close fight in July in Abu Dhabi. Robert Whittaker Whit Taker Reaper Graphic Charcoal Heather Pullover Hoodie. [3], A UFC Middleweight Championship unification bout between the champion Robert Whittaker (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) and undefeated interim champion Israel Adesanya served as the event's headliner. Israel Adesanya says 2021 is the year he’ll add a belt to his collection and face rival Jon Jones. He’s a hard fight, and he is so good. Later in the third round, Cannonier actually rocked Whittaker with a right hand that had him in survival mode, but Whittaker changed levels, shot into Cannonier's hips and tied him up along the fence to regain his wits. However, for Whittaker with the win, he has placed himself perfectly for a rematch with ‘Izzy’. When a hypothetical title fight in December was brought up, Whittaker offered this response: “Aw, f*ck. This FAQ is empty. I’m not stoked to fight him. He’s a hard fight, and he is so good. And the fact that he beat me once already. And the fact that he beat me once already. UFC returns to PPV featuring two huge title fights as Israel Adesanya defends the Middleweight Championship against Yoel Romero and Weili Zhang puts her Strawweight strap on the line against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Adesanya (20-0) is still the champion and has defended the belt twice. [8], The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. Adesanya has a lot of options, but the fight that makes the most sense is Whittaker. The final UFC PPV event of the year as Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington meet for the Welterweight Championship. I don’t like the guy [laughs] but he’s bloody good. Adesanya capped off a strong performance with a second-round KO to end Whittaker’s reign and a nine-fight win streak. Read: Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya makes sense says Dana White. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. But I feel I’ve got a couple of tricks I can roll out. Anderson Silva releases statement after UFC Vegas 12 loss, says ‘goodbye’ to ‘life dedicated to my sport’. His counter striking is honestly, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Looking for some great streaming picks? “It’s very appealing to me,” White said. Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya met in the main event of UFC 243, where Adesanya defeated Whittaker to win the UFC middleweight title.. Whittaker's game plan relied heavily on his jab and a sneaky right head kick, which rocked Cannonier early in the third round and nearly ended the fight. You have to take that into consideration when preparing for him.”. Brazilian MMA legend Anderson Silva suffered another stoppage loss inside the octagon. “You got to play his game, you can’t move in on him. The bout was originally expected to take place at UFC 189. Robert Whittaker vs Jared Cannonier was arguably one of the best fights on the card at UFC 254. It’s very hard for people to speak on Costa, why he didn’t do what he did because he was in there. I’m not stoked to fight him. One of the biggest stars in MMA returns as Khabib Nurmagomedov faces Dustin Poirier for the UFC Lightweight Championship. For ‘The Killa Gorilla’, it would’ve been a first title shot. One of the biggest fight cards of the year is headlined by Daniel Cormier defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship against Stipe Miocic. Daniel Cormier challenges Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Title as the legends meet for the third and final time. I thought Cannonier was gonna be a much tougher challenge for him. Whittaker rebounded from his loss to Adesanya with a unanimous decision win over Darren Till at UFC on ESPN 14 and will look to return to the Octagon later this month when he … He's resilient. Two of the best fighters in the UFC in Jon Jones and Valentina Shevchenko return to the cage to defend their titles. I thought I had him, but he stayed in and got back up and started putting it on me.