‘I Don’t See Whittaker Taking Him Down’- Gegard Mousasi Gives His Prediction for Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker Rematch

Published 08/10/2021, 5:24 AM EDT

Gegard Mousasi will return to action this weekend at Bellator 264. ‘The Dreamcatcher’ will defend his middleweight title against John Salter. Ahead of that, Mousasi sat down for a chat with Submission Radio. One of the many things discussed was the next UFC middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.

In their previous clash at UFC 243, Adesanya walked out as the better fighter and took away the belt from Whittaker. ‘The Last Stylebender‘ earned a second-round knockout finish. Mousasi, a former UFC fighter, believes that the UFC 243 outcome can psychologically give the champion the edge in the rematch.

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“Well, they are definitely the no. 1 and 2 in the middleweight now. So, yeah, it’s a good fight. Robert Whittaker beat everybody except Israel Adesanya. And Israel Adesanya lost his last fight at light-heavyweight. But it doesn’t mean anything. That’s still the no.1 and 2 guys who are gonna fight for the belt,” said Mousasi, previewing the contest.

Gegard Mousasi says Robert Whittaker is a tough individual

Mousasi is a true veteran of the sport of MMA, having had over 50 fights under his belt. So, needless to mention, he has the eye of a true expert. ‘The Dreamcatcher’ broke down how the rematch between ‘Bobby Knuckles’ and ‘Izzy’ will go.

“I would give the edge little bit more to Israel, because, his stand-up is just a little bit more better, you know,” said the Bellator champion.

When asked if Whittaker reminded him of himself, Mousasi replied, “Well, I thought he was boring, but he is not that boring, you know… Robert Whittaker is not boring, you know. He is a tough individual.”

Later, when asked about the changes he expects to see, the Bellator fighter said, “Well, you know, I don’t see Robert Whittaker taking him down. It’s gonna be mainly stand up and then you have the reach advantage and you know all the kickboxing experience. And he beat him already once.”

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“So, if you have to give somebody the edge, it would be Israel Adesanya. But, you know we have to see if he doesn’t knock him out in 2 rounds, what kind of fight it will be. But, still, I would slightly favor Israel.”

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It will be interesting to see what game plan Whittaker comes up with for the rematch. Adesanya is certainly the better striker with his immense kickboxing experience. But Whittaker, a former champion himself, will look to mix things up and get his belt back.

Who’s your pick in the rematch? ‘The Reaper‘ or ‘The Last Stylebender’? Let us know.

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Written by:

Apratim Banerjee is an MMA author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters.

‘I Don’t See Whittaker Taking Him Down’- Gegard Mousasi Gives His Prediction for Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker Rematch

Gegard Mousasi says Robert Whittaker is a tough individual

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