It’s possible that Robert Whittaker could face Israel Adesanya in the near future, depending on the outcome of his next fight. Recently, UFC president Dana White announced that Whittaker would take on Dricus Du Plessis in a No. 1 contender bout at UFC 290.
Robert Whittaker was quick to offer congratulations to Israel and also called him out after Adesanya’s victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 287. On the other hand, Dricus du Plessis did not offer much in terms of congratulations but was equally aggressive in needling Adesanya.
Two individuals with a clear goal of not only winning a UFC title but also defeating Israel in the process.
Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis is set for #UFC290 and Dana White says the winner will face Israel Adesanya – likely in Australia – later this year.
Full story: https://t.co/O1kbphNuay pic.twitter.com/2ZnUPxwgd3
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 21, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis rapidly rose through the ranks to become a serious contender in just five UFC bouts. After knocking out Markus Perez and Trevin Giles consecutively, he faced UFC veteran Brad Tavares, defeating him via unanimous decision at UFC 276.
He then called for a top-ten opponent, and got his wish when he faced No. 10-ranked Darren Till at UFC 282. In their ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, Du Plessis secured a third-round submission of the ‘Gorilla’.
Dana White announces Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis
A pay-per-view event scheduled for July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. According to White, the winner of this fight will get the chance to challenge Adesanya in a fight scheduled for the end of the year, likely in Sydney, Australia.
Robert Whittaker has experienced two defeats in his previous fifteen fights, and they both came at the hands of Israel Adesanya. The 32-year-old lost his UFC middleweight title to the ‘Last Stylebender’ by way of second-round KO at UFC 243 almost four years ago.
However, he rebounded with three consecutive wins against Jared Cannonier, Darren Till, and Kelvin Gastelum.
Whittaker Vs Adesanya: An old rivalry
During his most recent three-fight winning streak, Whittaker earned a rematch against Adesanya, who had successfully defended his title three times. Adesanya vs. Whittaker II was a much closer fight.
But Whittaker emerged victorious by unanimous decision, despite having lost to Adesanya in their first encounter. Despite his 0-2 record against the City Kickboxing fighter, Whittaker remained determined to earn a third and potentially final showdown with Adesanya.
He began his latest run at UFC Paris, where he defeated Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision.
Whittaker was scheduled to co-headline UFC 284 against Paulo Costa in February, but the fight was canceled due to contractual issues between the UFC and Costa. Despite this setback, Whittaker is still looking to stay active in the octagon.
