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Credits- Imago
Robert Whittaker & Max Holloway are two former champions who still hold high significance in their division. If any middleweight or featherweight wants a shot at the title, he has to go through Whittaker or Holloway. Moreover, both of them have fought current champions multiple times but fell slightly short of victory.
Robert Whittaker faces Dricus du Plessis next at UFC 290. The winner of the fight can land a title shot against Israel Adesanya, which means Whittaker has a chance of fighting Adesanya for the third time. Similarly, Max Holloway is also looking to bag a fourth title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. Recently, UFC legend Anthony Smith talked about both Whittaker and Holloway’s situation and drew an interesting comparison.
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UFC veteran doesn’t have a problem with Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway fighting for the title
Smith recently appeared in the latest episode of the BYM Pod with Michael Bisping. As the two were talking about the next opponent for Israel Adesanya, Smith intriguingly shifted the discussion to both these gatekeepers.
According to Smith, despite a third fight between Adesanya and Whittaker sounding boring, the challenger has undoubtedly earned it. Moreover, he had a similar belief for a fourth potential bout between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.
“At a certain point, Robert Whittaker just earns it (title shot). If that’s the case and he just keeps beating all the number one contenders, then I guess you just keep rolling them back out there. I kind of feel like that’s the same for Max Holloway. If he’s gonna keep beating the number one contender, then if you guys got to fight 10 times, that’s just what it is.”
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Are they going to meet the same fate as Israel Adesanya?
Further into the discussion, Smith compared Whittaker and Holloway with Adesanya himself. According to the retired fighter, just as Stylebender eventually won a fight against Alex Pereira, both Whittaker and Holloway can also bag victories against their rivals.

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HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 12: Robert Whittaker (L) of Australia grapples with Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their middleweight championship fight during UFC 271 at Toyota Center on February 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“It’s they’re kind of the same situation we talked about with Israel and Alex Pereira. These guys, they fight enough times, Izzy was bound to get one of them at some point in time. I feel like we’re getting kind of in the same realm of that kind with Volkanovski and Max Holloway. And Whitaker and Adesanya.”
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Do you agree with what Anthony Smith said in his recent podcast? Let us know in the comments below.
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