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Hollywood Superstars Chris Hemsworth and Matt Damon Heap Praise on Robert Whittaker

Published 04/18/2021, 9:36 AM EDT

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Robert Whittaker put on a masterclass against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of the final UFC Fight Night before UFC 261. Whittaker dominated Gastelum in a unanimous five-round victory. He controlled the fight for the entire 25-minute run and out-struck Gastelum. He also showed off his wrestling in flashes and solidified his candidacy as the next contender for Israel Adesanya.

Whittaker earned a lot of new fans last night. But some approvals are more unexpected than others. Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth are two massive fans of ‘The Reaper’. Damon is known for his work as Jason Bourne in the Bourne film trilogy, and Hemsworth is well-known for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Hemsworth is also from Australia, so there is an evident link between him and Whittaker. Considering Whittaker was the first-ever UFC Champion to come from Australia, it makes sense that Hemsworth is praising and celebrating one of his country-mates atop the UFC charts right now.

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Robert Whittaker: Where does this performance leave him in the division?

Robert Whittaker should be the next title contender. He has made his case for a rematch with Israel Adesanya air-tight with this win. He has won three consecutive fights in one-sided fashion since losing the belt to Adesanya in 2019. Meanwhile, no other top contender has a resume to rival him.

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People are heralding Marvin Vettori as the next contender, but Whittaker has a better case. Vettori is coming off a win over Kevin Holland, who had been beaten just a month prior. His other victims like Jack Hermansson don’t match up with Whittaker’s trio of wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. But would Whittaker risk his title candidacy in another presumed #1 contenders fight?

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There are red herrings in the division like Paulo Costa and Darren Till, who haven’t fought due to injury. Cannonier is yet to take another fight after his win over Till in late 2020. Meanwhile, there is also the question of Derek Brunson to contend with. But Whittaker stands tall amongst all of them and should be the man to get the next title shot.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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