Sean O'Malley sees Israel Adesanya beating Robert Whittaker once again in their upcoming rematch.
'The Last Stylebender' will meet 'The Reaper' for a second time at UFC 271 this weekend. As it stands, Israel Adesanya is coming in with an advantage, having knocked Robert Whittaker out in the first meeting. However, Whittaker is confident he has evolved since then and will not make the same mistake again.
In a recent video uploaded to his Youtube channel, 'Suga' said:
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"I think Izzy [Adesanya] gets the job done again dude. I really do. I mean, with that being said, Robert [Whittaker] could land something [and] change the whole fight [but] I donโt think heโs gonna be able to take Izzy down and I think heโs gonna keep him in a distance and finish him. I donโt know but I think he gets the job done.โ
Check out O'Malley's prediction below:
Ahead of his title defense against Whittaker, Adesanya reportedly inked a multi-million dollar deal with the UFC. O'Malley, on the other hand, has recently admitted that he to aims to secure a similar deal as he heads towards a contract renewal two fights down the line.
Israel Adesanya's counter striking is a problem for Robert Whittaker
During the pair's first fight, Adesanya knocked Whittaker out in the second round. In the rematch, the champion insists on surprising his opponent with his grappling game.
However, UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson sees Adesanya as being more effective in the stand-up. For 'Wonderboy,' 'The Last Stylebender's' counter striking will be too much for Whittaker. In an interview with James Lynch in November, Thompson said:
โAdesanya seems untouchable at this point, man. He seems untouchable. Heโs like cleared the division out, but the person that I think would give him the most problems is Whittaker. I think Whittaker learned from his last one. I think his striking is on par with Adesanya, especially his karate movements, head kicks, and takedown defense. Itโs going to be a stand-up war. But, uh, the counter striking of Adesanya is where Whittakerโs going to have his problems. I think thatโs how I ended up defeating him as well, was just the counter-punching he had problems with. So Iโm going to, Iโm leaning towards Adesanya.โ
Watch Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson share his pick below: