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#4. Robert Whittaker's game plan is going to be different
During their first meeting at UFC 243, Adesanya dominated the Australian. He was calm and reacted well to Whittaker's offense. 'The Reaper' had opened the bout aggressively and threw every shot with maximum power. Whittaker did not change his approach even when he started to take a lot of damage from the Nigerian's counters.
As Daniel Cormier pointed out during the fight:
''A lot of big actions by Robert Whittaker... throwing big, looping punches, not being as straight as he normally is.''
'Bobby Knuckles' quickly wore himself out, slowed down and suffered a knockdown at the end of round 1. In round two it was all over.
Catch the full fight here:
According to Whittaker, things will be different in the rematch. The 31-year old has sharpened his striking and ground game and won't rely on a singular approach. He told MMA Junkie:
''I guess my whole headspace is just, utilize the tools and the opportunities that I’m given in this fight.''
Watch the full interview:
#3. The former UFC middleweight champ plans to utilize his grappling
Israel Adesanya has been an unstoppable force in the middleweight division. He has decisively defeated every title challenger with ease. The Nigerian native is an exceptional striker who utilizes his reach and kicks to dictate the distance in every fight. The Kiwi is also arguably the best counter puncher in the UFC with near-perfect takedown defense.
However, many believe that in March 2021, Jan Blachowicz revealed how to exploit Izzy's biggest weakness. Blachowicz edged ahead every time he took Izzy down. Robert Whittaker believes he can do the same and in an interview with MMA Junkie, said:
''I would love to be able to get him on his back... he can’t use his long arms and long legs to hit you.''
However, unlike the former UFC light heavyweight champ, 'The Reaper' won't have a weight advantage over the champ. It'll be interesting to see if the middleweight can take Izzy down and hold him there.
