Robert Whittaker predicts Israel Adesanya's fight against Nassourdine Imavov, comments on Dricus du Plessis' "blueprint" for beating ex-rival

Robert Whittaker recently shared his breakdown for the Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov fight next year. Whittaker, without disregarding Imavov's abilities, leaned toward Adesanya to win the bout.

However, he also highlighted how the Frenchman could defeat Adesanya, citing Dricus du Plessis as an example.

Adesanya will return to the octagon on Feb. 1 next year at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a middleweight contest against Imavov. Notably, this will be his first non-title fight since 2019.

In a recent interview with MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker discussed the Adesanya vs. Imavov clash and backed the Nigerian-born Kiwi to prevail, saying:

''I'd have to lean into Izzy being the the favorite. He like he's so good at what he does but Imavov's a bit of a dog like he can go the distance. His striking is good, I can see him pushing the pace, pushing the pressure to try to make Adesanya make errors much like how Dricus [du Plessis] fought him.''

Citing Adesanya's clash against du Plessis, Whittaker continued:

''I can't say better standup because Dricus' stand up legs right, just different type of standup, a different approach. Is Imavov as tanky as Dricus? because I think Dricus made like a really good blueprint on how to beat Adesanya, make him uncomfortable...I think Imavov's got the skillset to do that but I'd still lean on Izzy being the favorite, he can fight that counter style so well and if you don't fall into his baits, into his traps, he'll pick you apart.''

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (0:42):

Whittaker implied that the reigning champion understood how to defeat 'The Last Stylebender' based on his previous encounters with both Adesanya and du Plessis.

---

Israel Adesanya reflects on losing to Dricus du Plessis and promises a stronger comeback

In his recent octagon appearance, Israel Adesanya lost to Dricus du Plessis via submission in the fourth round at UFC 305 in August earlier this year.

Adesanya will look to get back in title contention with a potential win over Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. During a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, the 35-year-old spoke to his brother and discussed his loss against du Plessis, saying:

''I did my best and I was in pretty good shape. I felt great but there's always room for improvement, which we've done now...But the Dricus fight, I was in great shape, f**king felt strong, but yeah, definitely room for improvement and we've made those improvements."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (1:43):