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Marvin Vettori witnessed Robert Whittaker deliver a clinical performance at the main event of UFC Vegas 24. 'The Reaper' secured a convincing win over Kelvin Gastelum, which certainly bothered Vettori, who was hoping for a title shot against Israel Adesanya.
'The Italian Dream' is currently ranked No. 3 in the middleweight division. Vettori's victory against Kevin Holland had prompted him to demand a title fight, however, Whittaker has now poured cold water on his plans.
The MMA community poked fun at The Italian Dream after Whittaker snatched a possible title shot from him.
Vettori is riding high on the back of a five-fight win streak. The 27-year-old could have guaranteed himself a title shot had Robert Whittaker failed to win. During an interview after UFC Vegas 24, Vettori weighed in on his chances of getting the better of The Reaper.
Vettori acknowledged Whittaker's superior high kicks, but also claimed he would avoid getting hit by "pressuring the sh*t out of" the Australian fighter.
Robert Whittaker is set for a rematch with Israel Adesanya
Robert Whittaker has now won three consecutive fights since losing his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in 2019. Him and Gastelum were scheduled to fight each other in February of 2019. But 'The Reaper' pulled out of the clash as he had to undergo a dual surgery.
Since then, Whittaker has continued to be a top middleweight contender, unlike Gastelum, who has succumbed to a string of devastating losses.
Paulo Costa, who was originally meant to face Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24, withdrew from the fight after encountering a severe case of flu. With most of the top middleweight contenders already booked, UFC decided to pit Gastelum against Whittaker. Gastelum defeated Ian Heinisch in his last outing, which saw him rise to No.7 in the divisional rankings.
After three back-to-back victories over contenders like Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, Robert Whittaker is now all set to compete against Israel Adesanya in a rematch.
