"Robert Whittaker was just operating on a different level" - Kelvin Gastelum says 'The Reaper' gave him tougher fight than Israel Adesanya

Kelvin Gastelum has stated that Robert Whittaker gave him a tougher fight than Israel Adesanya.

Gastelum has faced both fighters in the past. He lost a closely-contested interim UFC middleweight title fight to Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 236 in April 2019.

Meanwhile, his fight against Whittaker was a five-round non-title bout at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum in April 2021. 'The Reaper' beat Gastelum via unanimous decision in what was a relatively one-sided contest.

Addressing the Whittaker-Adesanya rematch that’s set to take place this Saturday, Gastelum had this to say during the UFC 271 Live Weigh-In Show:

“After my last fight with Rob Whittaker, I’ve never been that dazed, kind of scratching my head. Like, ‘Man, this guy was really better than me today.’ And I really didn’t see an opening. And he was just much better. I just had never felt that in a fight before. And not even against Adesanya, did he make me feel that way. I think Robert Whittaker was just operating on a different level. And I think if he can continue operating at that level, then I think he may be able to take it.”

According to Gastelum, Whittaker has all the right tools to beat Adesanya. However, he noted that since Adesanya is a master at controlling distance, Whittaker mustn’t recklessly leap into range as he did in their first fight.

Gastelum believes Whittaker will be a tad faster this time around. He also wants to see 'The Reaper' mix a bit of wrestling into the rematch.

Watch Kelvin Gastelum discuss the Whittaker-Adesanya rematch and more in the video below:

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Michael Bisping on Robert Whittaker potentially finishing Israel Adesanya via submission or ground and pound

Israel Adesanya beat Robert Whittaker via second-round KO at UFC 243 in October 2019. Adesanya is scheduled to defend his UFC middleweight belt in a rematch against Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 12th.

In an edition of his Believe You Me podcast, Michael Bisping suggested that Whittaker could use a more grappling-heavy gameplan at UFC 271. He stated that while Adesanya is a phenomenal striker, Whittaker is better in the grappling dominion.

Highlighting how Whittaker could stop Adesanya via submission or ground and pound if he manages to take him down and keep him there, Bisping said:

"He [Adesanya] is a specialist in kickboxing and everything else, he's catching that up... If Robert can take him down for a significant period of time, we could see a submission and we could see, potentially, a ground-and-pound stoppage."