Robert Whittaker has given a prediction for a potential showdown between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis has been the talk of the MMA world coming out of UFC 297. He challenged Sean Strickland for the UFC Middleweight Championship and won via split decision. UFC 300 is without a main event, and sources have told Ariel Helwani that Adesanya isn’t looking ready for the historic event. Helwani, however, did not rule out the possibility of the UFC brass trying to persuade “Izzy” to fight on the card.
If it does happen, Whittaker has a prediction.
Robert Whittaker On Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
Appearing as a guest on “The MMA Hour,” Robert Whittaker discussed whether or not it would be fair for Adesanya, who is coming off a loss, to receive another UFC middleweight title fight.
“Mate, I don’t get a say in this,” Whittaker said laughing. “It’s hard to say because Izzy’s become a bit of a superstar. He is a superstar of the division and of the fighting world. So, him getting leeway to do certain things like that, there’s talks of him going straight up to light heavyweight to fight Pereira again. It’s not like it’s never happened in the UFC before.”
Whittaker then predicted a possible middleweight championship scrap between the two.
“You know what? I’m gonna say DDP,” Whittaker said. “Just because like Sean with Dricus, the safe bet was Sean, but Dricus showed what he was willing to do and what he was willing to go through. Can he do that again against Izzy? Who knows, but he’s a tough guy.”
What Whittaker Expects From Paulo Costa
Helwani then shifted the focus to Paulo Costa, and Whittaker revealed what he expects from “Borrachinha.”
“Much the same Paulo we’ve always seen,” Whittaker said. “He’s gonna be a power puncher, he’s a powerful kicker, he’s strong, he’s big, he’s tough. I expect the best version of himself. I’m not making any mistakes in underestimating opponents ever again. So, I’m preparing for an absolute dog fight.”
Whittaker vs. Costa will be a part of the UFC 298 card on February 17. It’s an event that’ll be headlined by a UFC featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.
