Robert Whittaker believes he did enough to regain his middleweight title.
Whittaker was outpointed over five rounds by Israel Adesanya in their middleweight title rematch in the UFC 271 headliner last night.
Compared to the first fight, “The Reaper” did much better as he implemented a solid game plan that saw him land a couple of takedowns and find more success with his jabs and hooks.
However, Adesanya still did more than enough to get the decision in the minds of all three judges while many observers also felt he just about edged the competitive affair.
Whittaker, however, seemed a bit dejected at the decision and reflected on the fight soon after.
“I thought he looked very beatable. I thought I beat him,” Whittaker said at the post-fight press conference. “I thought I did enough, I got inside his reach, I beat him to every punch, beat him every time. He didn’t land anything that really hurt me but that one shot in the first.”
Robert Whittaker Believes Israel Adesanya Trilogy Will Happen
Given the competitive nature of the first fight and how Whittaker could clean out the division similar to Max Holloway, it’s not out of the question that a trilogy could happen.
And as far as Whittaker is concerned, it’s only inevitable.
“Honestly, a third fight between me and Izzy is inevitable,” Whittaker said. “It’s inevitable, because I’m going stomp anybody who comes in front of me again and he knows that too. That’s why he said, ‘I’ll be seeing you in the future.’
“I don’t see him losing the belt anytime soon, he’s good. I think I am the person to beat him and my mission stays the same.”
You can watch his full post-fight press conference below:
