Brendan Schaub believes Robert Whittaker should try to come up with his own gameplan against Israel Adesanya, rather than attempt to replicate Jan Blachowicz's blueprint when the Polish powerhouse fought 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 259 last year.
In the latest episode of The Schaub Show, the former UFC heavyweight said:
"I think he's making a huge mistake thinking that his gameplan at middleweight will work the same as it worked for Jan Blachowicz who walks around at 240 lbs. I think he's making a huge mistake if he thinks that he's gonna have the same success on takedowns that Jan Blachowicz had at 240 lbs against a lighter Izzy."
Watch the full episode of The Schaub Show below:
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Robert Whittaker recently claimed that Jan Blachowicz provided the blueprint to beat Israel Adesanya when the former light heavyweight champion handed 'The Last Stylebender' the first loss of his professional MMA career last year.
In a recent interview, Whittaker hinted that taking Adesanya down to the ground, as Blachowicz did, would neutralize the Kiwi's striking threat. The Australian said:
"I think Jan [Blachowicz] set a blueprint on how to beat him [Israel Adesanya]. Definitely we saw that Izzy is much less dangerous off his back. Still dangerous but less dangerous. You know, if I was a strategist I would be writing down all the points which Jan utilized to take that win and then putting it in my own."
Watch Robert Whittaker's full interview with MMA Junkie below:
Israel Adesanya slammed Robert Whittaker for saying he'll follow the same gameplan as Jan Blachowicz
Reacting to Robert Whittaker's comments on copying Jan Blachowicz's style, Israel Adesanya reacted with rage in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia.
'The Last Stylebender' said Whittaker would be repeating the same mistake twice if he tried to copy anyone else's gameplan. The reigning middleweight champion recalled when 'The Reaper' tried to imitate Kelvin Gastelum's aggressive fighting style in their first meeting, which resulted in the Australian getting viciously knocked out in the second round.
Adesanya said:
"We have a solid team and I've kept things fresh as well just to remind myself who I was. The first time we fought he [Whittaker] said Kelvin has laid out the blueprint to the path of beating me and look how that helped him. So this time Jan, he thinks, has the blueprint on beating me. But like I said, he should write his own homework. Stop trying to copy everyone else's homework."
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interview with Fox Sports Australia below: