"A rangy, tall, defensive striker versus a rangy, tall, offensive striker" - Robert Whittaker believes "small gloves" likely to play "big variable" when Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira clash at UFC 281

During media obligations leading into his fight this weekend, Robert Whittaker spoke about how he sees Israel Adesanya's "kickboxing fight with small gloves" clash against Alex Pereira playing out.

'Poatan' is a former Glory light heavyweight and middleweight champion who made the switch over to the UFC in 2021. Coming into the octagon with a 3-1 record in the sport, the Brazilian quickly made his presence known in the middleweight division and has been solely focusing on MMA ever since.

While discussing the upcoming matchup between the two titans, Robert Whittaker shared his expectancy for the fight, believing the brawl to play out like a kickboxing bout:

"That's an interesting fight. I do think it's gonna be a kickboxing fight with small gloves. You've got a rangy, tall, defensive striker versus a rangy, tall, offensive striker, it's gonna be interesting. He's [Alex Pereira] very tall, he's gonna have advantages in the striking department that myself did not have because [of] the distance he can reach and the length of his arms. I'm very interested in it, the small gloves is going to be a big variable compared to the first two fight they had against each other."

Alex Pereira holds two victories over Israel Adesanya in the world of kickboxing. On the way to clearly losing against 'The Last Stylebender' in their second outing, the 35-year-old Pereira delivered a sickening left hook that knocked out the current UFC 185lbs champion.

Robert Whittaker faces Marvin Vettori in the co-headliner of UFC Paris this weekend with title implications potentially on the line.

Check out what the Australian had to say about the forthcoming middleweight title showdown in the video below:

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If he wins, what's next for Israel Adesanya after UFC 281?

Israel Adesanya is unbeaten in the middleweight division and always finds a way to outscore his opponents even on his off-nights. So, if he beats long-term rival Pereira, what's next for him?

Overcoming the threat of the Brazil native would mean that the New Zealander would have beaten each of the top six ranked UFC middleweights, some on multiple occasions.

A short hiatus from the sport could be on the cards, but there are still options for the Nigerian-born superstar to consider once his war at UFC 281 comes to a close.

Another jump up to light heavyweight seems most likely and Israel Adesanya would welcome the chance at facing current 205lbs champion Jiri Prochazka in what should be a stand-up war.