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Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has weighed in on the criticism of Israel Adesanya's recent performances in the octagon.
'The Last Stylebender' is undefeated in the middleweight division and has successfully defended his title five times. The Nigerian-New Zealander is known for his outstanding striking ability but has recently drawn criticism from fans due to his lack of finishes and his willingness to grind out methodical decision victories.
The 33-year-old's last stoppage victory came in 2020 when he defeated Paulo Costa. He has since fought to three unanimous decision wins consecutively in the 185-pound division.
Whittaker, who lost via KO and decision to Adesanya, spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about the champion's style and whether or not it's entertaining. 'The Reaper' said:
"He's a picture-perfect defensive striker...I don't like that style because it's a pain in the a** to fight against, so that's a tricky one... I like the way Ciryl Gane fights, I like that style. He can be allusive when he wants to but he can come in and hurt you when he wants to. I like my style! I like being hard to hit but I like the ability I have to hit them when I want to."
Catch the full interview with Robert Whittaker below:
Robert Whittaker is betting on Israel Adesanya for Alex Pereira fight
UFC 281 will be headlined by longtime rivals Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira for the middleweight title.
The pair have a checkered history dating back to their time as professional kickboxers. 'Poatan' faced Adesanya on two occasions, winning via unanimous decision and KO. The rematch loss marked the only KO defeat of Adesanya's combat sports career to date.
The UFC has been scrambling to find a legitimate threat to Adesanya's reign as middleweight champion. Pereira debuted in 2021 and his three-fight winning run, which includes a stunning KO over Sean Strickland, has been deemed enough to get their combat sports trilogy bout signed for later this year.
Discussing the upcoming title fight on The MMA Hour, Robert Whittaker stated that if he was going to bet on the fight, he'd put it on Adesanya:
"If I was betting, I'd have to say I'd bet on Israel. I think in an offensive and defensive matchup, the defensive striker would have to be the favorite. Alex is very upright and longer, it's hard to know how the small gloves are going to effect both guys getting hit... It's a very interesting fight."
