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Gegard Mousasi recently spoke to Submission Radio ahead of his first title defense against John Salter in the main event at Bellator 264.
Along with a variety of other subjects, Mousasi was asked to weigh in on the expected title clash between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and number one contender Robert Whittaker.
While Gegard Mousasi regards it as a tough matchup, he slightly favors the champion, Israel Adesanya.
According to Mousasi, because Adesanya defeated Whittaker in their first outing, he expects 'The Last Stylebender' to do it again in their rematch.
'The Dreamcatcher' gave Israel Adesanya a slight edge owing to his exceptional stand-up game. Giving his prediction for the rematch between Adesanya and Whittaker, Gegard Mousasi told Submission Radio:
"Well, they are definitely the number one and two guys in the middleweight now. So yeah, it's a good fight. Robert Whittaker beat everybody except Israel Adesanya, so yeah. And Israel Adesanya lost his last fight at light heavyweight. But it doesn't mean anything. They are still the number one and two guys who are gonna fight for the belt. I would give the edge a little bit more to Israel because his stand-up is a little bit more better, you know."
Catch Gegard Mousasi's full appearance on Submission Radio below:
Gegard Mousasi details how the fight will play out
Robert Whittaker has made substantial changes to his game since losing his middleweight strap to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 back in 2019.
While 'The Reaper' is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, Gegard Mousasi thinks he will fall short in his bid to recapture the title.
According to Mousasi, the changes in Whittaker's game stand irrelevant as he doesn't see the fight going to the canvas.
Gegard Mousasi believes Israel Adesanya will beat Whittaker in a stand-up battle considering the Kiwi's vast kickboxing experience. The Bellator middleweight champion further told Submission Radio:
"Well you know, I dont see Robert Whittaker taking him down. And it's gonna be mainly standup. And you have the reach advantage and all the kickboxing experience so... And he (Adesanya) beat him (Whittaker) already once so if you have to give somebody the edge, it would be Israel Adesanya. But you know, we have to see if he doesn't knock him out in two rounds what kind of fight it would be, you know. But still, I would slightly favor Israel."
