Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker believes his next title shot hinges on the mercy of middleweight king Israel Adesanya and the UFC brass.
The two middleweight greats met inside the cage at UFC 243. The emerging superstar Adesanya dethroned Robert Whittaker in front of the biggest audience ever recorded in UFC history. At the Marvel Stadium in Australia, the action came to a climax when Adesanya sniped Robert Whittaker with a devastating counter left hook in round two and sent “The Reaper” to a different realm. Since then, Whittaker has gone on to bounce back against two legitimate contenders in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier.
Robert Whittaker Unsure Of Path To Adesanya
It appears “The Reaper” is questioning his route back to the title even if he notches a third-straight win. Despite the lack of clarity and frustrations, Robert Whittaker is eager to get back in the cage to compete.
“It’s hard to say, the UFC and Izzy have all the power. Robert Whittaker said to ESPN. So I’m just looking at this as it’s how I make a living, this is my job and I love my job, I enjoy making a living providing for my family like this. So I’m just going to do my thing, I’m going to work hard, earn my money, and then I’m going to enjoy time with my family and the lifestyle that it provides me”
While there is definite concern about a future title opportunity, if the former middleweight champion is successful in his upcoming fight against the No.8 ranked Gastelum, he very well could be looking down the barrel of a title shot in the near future.
After being asked if Adesanya’s loss to champion Jan Blachowicz exposed any holes in Izzy’s game, Robert Whittaker admits that there might be. However, he understands the herculean task ahead of him with Gastelum and is eager to see how Adesanya looks after his first pro loss.
“Perhaps, perhaps, it’s very hard to adapt the plans without [Blachowicz’s] power. Robert Whittaker continued. But we’ve got to wait and see how Izzy comes back down to middleweight; I’ve got a couple of things up my sleeve I’m looking to try next time we cross paths, so we’ll wait and see”
Ever since the two champs met at the packed stadium in 2018, fans have been clamoring for the pair to run it back. If Whittaker can get past Gastelum, it will be hard for anyone to deny “The Reaper” a title shot.
Do you believe Robert Whittaker earned his rematch with Adesanya already? Let us know below!
