Is it time for Robert Whittaker to maneuver to gentle heavyweight?
Regardless of holding down a spot within the middleweight high 5, ‘The Reaper’ finds himself in a troublesome spot after failing to see his hand raised towards the division’s reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis, and struggling a brutal first-round submission loss towards undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.
In consequence, Whittaker might be ready a very long time for an additional crack at 185-pound gold, main some to take a position that he might high-tail it for gentle heavyweight the place the contender’s pool is so much thinner.
One man who loves the thought of Whittaker making the transfer is three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.
“I really like the thought of Whittaker at 205 kilos,” Sonnen mentioned on his YouTube channel. “I absolutely consider that he has the talents to turn out to be world champion. At 185, I feel they’re going to play musical chairs there. I feel that belt’s going to bounce round. I feel we’re within the strategy of seeing that. Strick—Strickland was champion, and he dropped it. Du Plessis—Strick’s about to go get his belt again. It’s going to be sort of musical chairs.”
does Robert Whittaker have a path again to the middleweight title?
Already arising brief towards Du Plessis, Chimaev, and Israel Adesanya on two separate events, there are only a few paths again to the middleweight title for Robert Whittaker. The most effective-case state of affairs would see Sean Strickland take again the title from ‘DDP’ at UFC 312 on February 8, however even then, ‘The Reaper’ would nonetheless have to sit down again and see if Strickland can fend off Chimaev who, by all accounts, would be the subsequent man up.
There’s at all times a trilogy combat towards Adesanya, however with ‘The Final Stylebender’ already going two-up on Whittaker, there’s not a lot of a requirement for the threequel.
After which there’s Whittaker’s lack of showmanship which isn’t doing him any favors in accordance with ‘The American Gangster.’
“What I don’t know at 185 is an affordable path again to the Robert Whittaker Transfer up the Gentle Heavyweight? Former UFC Contender Says He Loves the Thought alternative. That’s one other factor that will get very powerful once you’ve been round a very long time and also you’ve fought all people. It’s arduous. And Whittaker doesn’t embrace the leisure period that he’s dwelling by.
“He largely doesn’t, as a result of I hear Whittaker speak—he’s nice. He’s a good-looking man. He’s obtained this nice story. He doesn’t know these issues. He doesn’t know he’s a cool man. He’s certainly one of… he’s certainly one of these. And I really like the thought of him going to 205 kilos. I can’t match him up instantly, I gotta inform you. I don’t—I don’t have that match-up instantly. Like, Robert Whittaker versus Anthony Smith may be very fascinating to me.”
Whittaker is 17-6 beneath the UFC banner with all however two of his victories coming inside the gap.
