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Following a close decision loss in his second fight with Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker has his sights set on a new opponent. 'Bobby Knuckles' hopes to fight his way back to a shot at the middleweight strap.
The Australian all-rounder is considered by many to be the biggest threat to Adesanya's throne. Despite coming up short on two occasions against the champion, the 31-year-old believes a win over another top contender puts him straight back into title contention.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Robert Whittaker opened up on who he thinks would be the ideal next matchup for him, saying:
"I think [Marvin] Vettori's the only one in the top five I haven't fought yet, so I think that makes the most sense. We're both chasing the same thing, that third fight with Adesanya, so it makes perfect sense to have a dig with him."
In his pursuit of recapturing undisputed UFC gold, Whittaker considers it 'inevitable' that he'll meet Israel Adesanya for a third time before the two retire from the sport.
Since losing to the 185lb champ, Marvin Vettori managed to put on a stellar performance against division rival Paulo Costa in their headlining fight at UFC Fight Night 196 in October last year.
Watch what Robert Whittaker had to say about a potential meeting with the Italian below:
Israel Adesanya's future in the middleweight division
As he has stated multiple times in the past, Israel Adesanya is keen to make the step up to light heavyweight in search of gold to accompany his middleweight title.
The former kickboxing star has put a stamp on his division and made the weightclass his very own since his debut in the promotion back in February 2018.
The Nigerian-born fighter looks set to put his belt on the line against Jared Cannonier in his next outing. 'The Killa Gorilla' earned his shot at the champion after brutally finishing Derek Brunson last time out.
If he stays in the division for long enough, Adesanya could face a new breed of middleweight contenders who are all vying for his title.
