Robert Whittaker vows to defeat Dricus du Plessis in rematch after UFC 298: ‘I’m a better fighter than he is’
Former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker claims that if he fights newly-crowned divisional titleholder, Dricus du Plessis in a rematch after his return to the Octagon at UFC 298 this month, he will avenge his loss to the South African.
Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight champion and perennial contender at the weight class, has been sidelined since he featured against the Pretoria native in an officially billed title eliminator back in July of last year during International Fight Week.
Suffering his first loss in the division to a fighter other than two-time foe, fellow former kingpin, Israel Adesanya, Whittaker was stopped with a flurry of second round ground strikes following a knockdown for a TKO blemish.
Robert Whittaker eyes rematch with Dricus du Plessis
And drawing former title challenger, Paulo Costa in two weeks’ time at UFC 298 in Anaheim, Whittaker, who vowed to severely “hurt” the Brazilian in their pivotal clash, and when reflecting on his matchup with du Plessis las summer, claimed if they fought again – he beats him nine times out of 10.
“Dricus (du Plessis) is a hungry guy, and I think I underestimated that hunger,” Robert Whittaker told assembled media at a UFC 298 press event in Sydney. “I still believe I beat him nine times out of 10, I still believe that I’m a better fighter than he is, that I have a better skill set than he does, but [fighting] a big, strong, hungry guy that’s willing to leave it all in there, you need to match that. I feel like I didn’t do that in that last fight and it really made me think a little bit.”
Himself expected to make his own return in a title fight against the above-mentioned, Adesanya, du Plessis has been linked with a massive headlining fight on a monumental UFC 300 card in April.
Who wins in a title rematch after UFC 298: Dricus du Plessis or Robert Whittaker?
