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Robert Whittaker proved that he remains the biggest threat to the middleweight division besides champion Israel Adesanya. 'The Reaper' defeated a resolute Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night Paris. Fans and fighters flocked to the internet to shower their appreciation for Whittaker.
Whittaker systematically picked apart Vettori and cruised through the bout with a unanimous decision victory. The Italian displayed his grit and determination while trying to work his way into the fight, but Whittaker's lunging jabs and movement proved too much for him.
Fans and fellow fighters applauded Whittaker for his impressive performance, and acclaimed him as the best fighter in the middleweight division behind Israel Adesanya.
@AdamCatterall wrote that 'Bobby Knuckles' is an absolute joy to watch:
''Robert Whittaker is an absolute joy to watch. Smooth as god damn silk.''
Light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka congratulated Whittaker on his victory:
''Congratulation @robwhittakermma, beautiful work. 🔥🙏⚡️''
While heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou commended the Australian, he reminded everyone of how good the champion Israel Adesanya is:
''Vittori is warrior man 💪.Respect 🙏🏽Congrats to Robert!!! #UFCParis''
''This just shows how GREAT @stylebender is. 👍 🤴🤴 #UFCParis''
Former double champion Henry Cejudo claimed that Whittaker could defeat Adesanya if he defends his lead leg:
"If Whitaker could protect his lead leg against style bender and work on his wrestling entries he could become the middle weight champion of the world again."
Here are some of the best reactions below:
What's next for Robert Whittaker?
Following his spectacular victory against Marvin Vettori at UFC Fight Night Paris, Robert Whittaker grabbed the microphone and claimed that he's the most dangerous fighter in the division besides champion Israel Adesanya.
"Including the champion, I'm the most dangerous man in the division. I make people hate fighting. I take the love out of it for them.''
Even with the victory, Whittaker finds himself in a weird conundrum. He has faced Adesanya twice and lost on both occasions. Prior to UFC Paris, Whittaker had claimed in an interview with Submission Radio that he might entertain a permanent move to light heavyweight:
“I’ve been thinking about 205 a fair bit. The problem is, I wouldn’t go to 205 to come back down to 185. Just because I don’t want to go to 205 as a fat 185, right? You see a lot of guys try that and they just get starched. And then they come back down. It doesn’t make sense.”
Adesanya had suggested that it would require a spectacular performance to advocate the idea of a third fight. However, the champion is currently focused on his upcoming fight against kickboxing rival Alex Pereira.
A fight against Paulo Costa or a move to light heavyweight makes sense for Robert Whittaker at this point in his career.
