Still inside the UFC 263 octagon, after defeating Marvin Vettori and successfully defending his middleweight belt (84kg) for the third time, Israel Adesanya made it clear who he would like to face in his next commitment: former champion Robert Whitaker. And, it seems, it will not take long for this duel to happen.
At the UFC 263 press conference, Dana White, aware of the Nigerian’s desire, revealed that the Nigerian had already requested a new title defense for October and therefore scheduling a rematch between him and Whitaker became a priority for the organization. Despite this, the official said that part of Adesanya’s request should not be granted.
In his speech, Champion asked that the rematch against Whitaker be held in Auckland, New Zealand, where he trains and lives, noting that his first duel – when the Nigerian won the linear middleweight belt – was held in Australia. It was the house of the rival. According to Dana, the restrictions imposed by the country of Oceania due to the COVID-19 pandemic should make it difficult to promote the event in New Zealand land.
Still inside the UFC 263 octagon, after defeating Marvin Vettori and successfully defending his middleweight belt (84kg) for the third time, Israel Adesanya made it clear who he would like to face in his next commitment: former champion Robert Whitaker. And, it seems, it will not take long for this duel to happen.
At the UFC 263 press conference, Dana White, aware of the Nigerian’s desire, revealed that the Nigerian had already requested a new title defense for October and therefore scheduling a rematch between him and Whitaker became a priority for the organization. Despite this, the official said that part of Adesanya’s request should not be granted.
0:55
In a style that reminded him a lot of Anderson Silva, the Nigerian completely dominated Marvin Vettori and made fun of his opponent even with a squeeze on the butt.
In his speech, Champion asked that the rematch against Whitaker be held in Auckland, New Zealand, where he trains and lives, noting that his first duel – when the Nigerian won the linear middleweight belt – was held in Australia. It was the house of the rival. According to Dana, the restrictions imposed by the country of Oceania due to the COVID-19 pandemic should make it difficult to promote the event in New Zealand land.
“That’s what I love about Adesanya. Adesanya, maybe two or three days before this fight (against Vettori) happened, we got a warning: ‘I want to fight again in October’. He still fought And this guy was already talking about his next fight. I love that. Adesanya has become a tough champion for us. So we’ll settle him and Whitaker as soon as possible,” Dana Said, before expressing pessimism about whether there will be a fight in New Zealand.
“Are you talking about New Zealand or Australia? I doubt it too much. It’s like asking if we’re going to Canada in October. They’re basically in the same boat (with regards to restrictions) )”, the manager concluded.
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whitaker first faced each other in Australia in October 2019. On that occasion, the Nigerian – who had won the interim middleweight belt in his previous fight – knocked out the Australian and unified the division title. Since then, ‘Izzy’ has successfully defended his belt three times against Joel Romero, Paulo ‘Borachinha’ and Marvin Vettori respectively.
