5 adjustments Robert Whittaker needs to make to defeat Israel Adesanya at UFC 271

#2. Robert Whittaker needs to protect his chin more efficiently

Robert Whittaker needs to protect his chin more than he did in his first bout with Israel Adesanya

While Robert Whittaker has proven himself to be a highly durable fighter over his tenure with the UFC, the truth is that anyone can end up with a compromised chin if they take too much damage.

Whittaker’s chin was never completely infallible, as he was knocked out violently by Stephen Thompson's pinpoint strikes in 2014. However, ‘The Reaper’ then survived an insane amount of damage in two fights against Yoel Romero, suggesting he had no issue with his ability to weather shots.

So what does Israel Adesanya’s knockout win over Whittaker tell us? It probably points to one of two things. Either Adesanya and Thompson were the only fighters to land a truly clean shot on Whittaker, or the wars have begun to catch up with the Australian.

Either way, this means that ‘The Reaper’ simply can’t afford to leave his chin out there in this rematch with Adesanya. If ‘The Last Stylebender’ can catch him cleanly, he can knock him out again.

Therefore, a safety-first approach – almost like the one Whittaker took against the scarily powerful Jared Cannonier – is probably advised. Furthermore, he needs to avoid any trading unless Adesanya is hurt first.

Whittaker has never been a truly reckless fighter. However, if he wants to win this one, then he’ll need to be even more careful than before, even if it impacts his own ability to dish out punishment.

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#1. Robert Whittaker should look to utilize some takedowns and ground Israel Adesanya

Robert Whittaker should look to copy Jan Blachowicz's wrestling-based gameplan to defeat Israel Adesanya

Perhaps the biggest difference between Robert Whittaker’s first meeting with Israel Adesanya and their upcoming rematch is the fact that ‘The Last Stylebender’ is no longer an unbeaten fighter.

Prior to his first meeting with Whittaker, nobody had solved the puzzle in terms of beating Adesanya. As we now know, ‘The Reaper’ himself failed miserably in his attempts to do so.

However, 2021 saw Adesanya move up to 205 lb to challenge then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in an attempt to become a double titleholder. While ‘The Last Stylebender’ fought well, he eventually came out on the wrong end of a decision.

So, what was the key to Blachowicz’s win? It was his takedowns, wrestling and top control. Nobody had really attempted to keep Adesanya on the ground prior to this fight, and if they did, they’d always come up short.

However, Blachowicz was able to ground Adesanya by quickly rushing in as ‘The Last Stylebender’ threw big strikes, forcing him to the ground with basically superior strength. Once he was on top, the Polish fighter was able to keep Adesanya grounded without much trouble by using short elbow strikes.

It wasn’t a flashy gameplan, but it was effective. Can Whittaker recreate it at UFC 271? On the face of it, definitely.

Sure, ‘The Reaper’ isn’t as big and strong as Blachowicz, but he’s an excellent wrestler in his own right. While he isn’t known for his takedowns, anyone who can hang with Yoel Romero in that department probably has a powerful double leg in his arsenal.

Therefore, while it wouldn’t be smart for Whittaker to simply spam takedowns, it’d definitely be worth attempting to catch a striking Adesanya and power him to the ground. If he can do that enough times, it could be the key to a victory for him.