Robert Whittaker saw a glimmer of hope as Alex Pereira made headlines at UFC 281. The Poatan dethroned Israel Adesanya’s 3-year reign as middleweight king. Adesanya was on a 12-game win streak as his kickboxing rival came to upset his party.

Robert Whittaker, who was a former middleweight champion, looked ecstatic as Adesanya fell after a long wait.

Robert Whittaker enjoyed UFC 281 result

The Reaper was watching the game in his home as UFC 281 middleweight main event took place at Madison Square Garden, New York on November 13. Israel Adesanya was the Goliath who faced a worthy opponent in Alex Pereira.

Alex Pereira Creates History Alongside Brock Lesnar After Vicious Israel Adesanya Finish at UFC 281

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The former had a record of 12 consecutive middleweight wins and 5 title defenses as he faced ‘The Poatan’. Whereas the Brazilian fighter had an impressive run of 3 consecutive wins in the UFC before facing the former champion.

The MMA world had a wild reaction, similar to Whittaker when Pereira took the belt home in the 5th round.

He delivered a solid knockout and claimed the belt for himself. Combataalk shared on Instagram and wrote, “Rob couldn’t believe it 😂”

The former middleweight champion jumped from his chair and sank back in a mixture of disbelief and excitement.

Whittaker must’ve felt relieved to see a new face claiming the belt after a long wait. Adesanya’s domination had finally ended thanks to Pereira’s excellency.

The Reaper didn’t have a favorite before the match

‘The Reaper’ still has a solid fanbase among MMA fans who consider him to be the best 185-pound fighter. Despite taking a loss from Israel Adesanya, Whittaker can now make his claim to the championship belt again, by going after Pereira.

Before the fight, when asked whom he’s backing among the two, the fighter jokingly said, “I hope they both hurt each other extremely. Like bad (laughs).”

The Hapkido black belter joked, “I hope they fight so hard and they hurt each other so bad that they never come back the same.”

But secretly, he might’ve rooted for Pereira and his wishes came true.

We will see Robert Whittaker in action when he fights Paulo Costa on February 11, 2023, at UFC 284 in RAC Arena, Australia.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Alex Pereira mocked his kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya before UFC 281

Do you think Whittaker could reclaim the middleweight championship belt?