Robert Whittaker is having a quick turnaround.
Just a month after his second loss against Israel Adesanya, the former UFC Middleweight Champion is already signing on for his next matchup. Whittaker looks to take on top contender Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 on June 11. The fight is all but official, but is close to being finalized, according to Ariel Helwani.
Robert Whittaker x Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 on June 11 isn’t a done deal just yet, but it’s “very close,” I’m told.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 10, 2022
‘The Reaper’ would tease his quick return earlier this week, saying: “Skinny Rob might be coming back sooner than I wanted.” Some would believe he was dropping down to welterweight, but it’s actually because he has a fight ahead.
Whittaker looks to rebound from his last loss to Adesanya, in a fight where he believes he won. He doesn’t look to come up short again when he takes on Vettori. A win over the former title challenger might not get him another title shot right away, but it definitely will get him closer to a trilogy with Adesanya.
Vettori is very similar to Whittaker in this sense. He has gone 0-2 to the champ, where he believes he won his rematch.
‘The Italian Dream’ bounced back from his defeat to Adesanya, with a win over Paulo Costa. He’d even beat Costa at light heavyweight, 20lbs heavier than what they were scheduled for. Vettori will continue to build his case for another title shot, should he defeat Whittaker.
UFC 275 is scheduled for June 11th, with Singapore being a possibility. Glover Teixeira is targeted to headline against Jiri Prochazka. Perhaps we’ll see Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori in the co-main event.
