Robert Whittaker has given his thoughts on the upcoming UFC middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Robert Whittaker Breaks Down Adesanya vs. Pereira
Adesanya is slated to put his middleweight title up for grabs against his former kickboxing foe, Pereira, in the main event of UFC 281.
The pay-per-view (PPV) event goes down on November 12 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. It’s a very interesting matchup considering Pereira owns two victories over Adesanya in kickboxing.
However, Adesanya is as dominant as any other champion has ever looked in the UFC, making this a very interesting situation.
One man who has shared the Octagon with Adesanya twice before, and a former middleweight champion himself, Robert Whittaker, recently spoke to Middle Easy about the upcoming matchup.
Whittaker explained that he believes the biggest factor in the bout will be the size of the gloves on fight night.
“That’ s a tricky fight to pin down,” Whittaker said. “If I was a betting man I think I’d go with Adesanya. I think you have to. He’s the best defensive striker in the game.
“Physically, it just makes perfect sense for him to fight that way, and he’s a tricky guy to hit. But Pereira is huge man. He’s a huge guy.
“And they’ve fought before so they have some sort of understanding of each other’s reach. The biggest factor and variable in this fight is going to be the small gloves.
“And how that plays a role in the fight itself, nobody can say until the night. So, that’s where I’m at on that.”
Whittaker himself is still very much in the title mix. His only losses since 2014 have been against Adesanya. He remains undefeated in the middleweight division against anyone that is not “Stylebender.”
Should Pereira win in New York City against Adesanya, Whittaker believes he’s first in line for a crack at the new champion.
“Definitely. I have more than proven that I am the dude. I’m that guy that’s lurking, that’s hunting that gold. And I’ve proven to everyone that my level is just that high.”
