Perennial middleweight contender Robert Whittaker would rather see Dricus Du Plessis put his title on the line against Israel Adesanya rather than in an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland.
In January, ‘Stillknocks’ scored a closely contested split decision over Strickland to capture the middleweight crown, setting the stage for a scrap with former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya. By all accounts, that appears to be the fight to make. But with ‘The Last Stylebender’ taking an extended hiatus after losing the 185-pound crown for the second time in less than a year, the UFC may move forward with a different fight for DDP’s first defense.
Offering his take on the top of the middleweight division during an appearance on the MMArcade Podcast, former champion Robert Whittaker suggested that the promotion may choose to avoid putting Strickland back into the main event spotlight.
“I don’t know, mate. Me. Call me out you b*m. I can see them making that [Israel Adesanya] fight because of the bad blood between them, because of South Africa and that whole story arc. I can’t really see the UFC getting behind [Sean] Strickland again. I don’t think they loved him as a champ to begin with so I don’t think they’re really gunning for that rematch. I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m kind of hoping Dricus gets Izzy in a sense, just so that I can fight Strickland.”
Robert Whittaker talks about the current state of the Middleweight Division.
When asked who Dricus should fight next, Rob says “call me out you bum.”
He says the UFC didn’t love Sean Strickland as champion, and believes they will book Izzy vs DDP instead.
He also hopes that… pic.twitter.com/FeSPcL6XZw
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 21, 2024
