Robert Whittaker Thinks He Beat Israel Adesanya, Says Third Fight Is Inevitable
Robert Whittaker believes he did enough to dethrone Israel Adesanya at UFC 271.
‘The Reaper’ gave a great account of himself after previously being wiped out by Adesanya inside two rounds in 2019. Whittaker impressed with his wrestling and striking ability throughout the 25-minute fight but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges’ who declared ‘Stylebender’ victorious by way of unanimous decision at the conclusion of the five-round fight.
Whittaker said that he thought he won when speaking to Daniel Cormier during his post-fight Octagon interview and kept that same energy when talking to reporters backstage.
“I thought he looked very beatable. I thought I beat him,” Whittaker said. “I thought I did enough, I got inside his reach, I beat him to every punch, beat him every time. He didn’t land anything that really hurt me but that one shot in the first.
The former middleweight champion believes that the third fight between him and Adesanya is inevitable. Whittaker claims he will beat whoever he needs to earn a trilogy fight while ‘Stylebender’ will hold onto the 185lb strap for the foreseeable future.
“A third fight between me and Izzy is inevitable,” Whittaker added. “It’s inevitable, because I’m going stomp anybody who comes in front of me again and he knows that too. That’s why he said, ‘I’ll be seeing you in the future.’ I don’t see him losing the belt anytime soon, he’s good. I think I am the person to beat him and my mission stays the same.”
It appears that Jared Cannonier is next in line for a shot at the middleweight title after he viciously knocked out Derek Brunson on the UFC 271 undercard.
