Robert Whittaker thinks it’ll be ‘And Nonetheless’ on Saturday night time.
Emanating from the acquainted confines of T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas, UFC 313 will function a light-weight heavyweight championship headliner as Alex Pereira places his gold on the road in opposition to the division’s top-ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev.
Unbeaten in his final 13 fights, Ankalaev is taken into account to be Pereira’s hardest check but contained in the Octagon. Nonetheless, ‘The Repaer’ thinks ‘Poatan’ will deal with enterprise and depart ‘Sin Metropolis’ along with his title intact. Properly, as long as Ankalaev doesn’t do one thing silly like making an attempt to face and commerce with the Brazilian boogeyman.
“I’m gonna go Pereira,” Whittaker mentioned on the MMArcade podcast. “Like I mentioned, if Ankalaev doesn’t drop degree with him inside like the primary three minutes, I don’t suppose he makes it out of the primary spherical. I don’t wish to be putting with that man, interval. He hits like a truck. He’s very snug and assured standing. So, yeah, you must get him on his again in that first spherical.
“Pereira brings a definitive X factor into the sport.”
What’s subsequent for Robert Whittaker?
As for Whittaker himself, the previous middleweight titleholder has not but booked a return to the Octagon since struggling a quick-fire submission loss in opposition to Khamzat Chimaev in October.
But when ‘The Reaper’ will get his want, he’ll go toe-to-toe with one other ex-champion this summer time.
“I believe Strickland makes an excellent argument to have as a result of I really feel like we’ve each been in that high form of pond for some time circling one another,” Whittaker mentioned on the On Paper podcast with Anthony Smith. “For no matter motive, we haven’t been matched up however we’ve each been in proximity for some time.
“It’s almost definitely the combat to make, I’m enthusiastic about that combat. I take a look at his model and I discover it curious. I discover it thrilling to attempt to work out. I’ve simply been engaged on some issues, engaged on some new skillsets however I wish to come again this yr in June. That’s after I wish to put my hand as much as combat as a result of it offers me an excellent period of time to only proceed doing what I’m doing but additionally ease right into a camp.”
Each Whittaker and Strickland are coming off losses after ‘Tarzan’ suffered a lopsided defeat by the hands of present 185-pound titleholder Drucis Du Plessis at UFC 312.
