Robert Whittaker isn’t of the belief that Israel Adesanya should get an immediate rematch for the middleweight title.
Adesanya dropped the 185-pound title to Sean Strickland this past weekend at UFC 293. After the fight, there has been much discussion as to whether or not Strickland’s first title defense should be in a rematch with “Stylebender,” or against another challenger. While UFC president Dana White has already expressed that he believes a rematch is the way to go, Whittaker explained on The MMA Hour why he thinks that notion is “silly.”
“Let’s take fair out of the equation. Life isn’t fair, right? But I think it’s silly if Izzy gets an immediate rematch, because this isn’t his first loss as champion,” Whittaker said (via MMA Fighting). “You know? Technically he didn’t defend the belt again. He lost to [Alex] Pereira, got the belt back, and then lost it again.
“And you have to ask, like, is your idea just to keep letting him have rematches when he loses? Like, relax. That’s the fight game. It puts the UFC in a tricky position, because Izzy’s kind of one of their premiere guys. You know, he’s one of the poster boys. But yeah, I think he’s got some work to do.”
Adesanya’s defeat at the hands of Strickland came in the form of a lopsided unanimous decision. Strickland seemed to have control of the fight fairly handily from start to finish. For that reason, some believe contenders such as Dricus Du Plessis should get the next crack at the title. While the debate will rage on for the next several weeks until an official announcement is made, Whittaker believes the champion, Strickland, should have a say in who he fights in his first title defense.
“Honestly, I think [Strickland’s] opinion should have some weight to it. I think he had a huge upset, and he took the fight on relatively late notice as well. I think him being the champion, it should have a weight in who he wants to fight,” Whittaker said.
“He’s on top of the pile right now. He should revel in it. He should enjoy it, because every single middleweight and their friend is coming for him. And he knows it.”
Whittaker is no stranger to Adesanya. Adesanya defeated Whittaker in devastating fashion back in 2019 to capture the undisputed middleweight crown via second-round knockout. They rematched in 2022, with Adesanya putting the title up for grabs. After five rounds of fighting, Adesanya again defeated Whittaker – this time via decision.
“The Reaper” is looking to get back into the title hunt after his recent TKO loss to Du Plessis in July.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufcnews/robert-whittaker-thinks-its-silly-for-israel-adesanya-to-get-an-immediate-rematch