Can Robert Whittaker, 20-4-0 give Israel Adesanya, 17-0 his first defeat? Most top sportsbooks opened up their betting odds thinking so –if you get into the action on this fight, be sure to check out this Intertops review beforehand.
The Last Stylebender has beaten some of the top names in UFC – albeit aging– Kelvin Gastelum and Anderson Silva. The Nigerian-New Zealand sensation hasn’t stopped winning, but most of his recent fights have come by way of decision, not knockout. That said, Israel’s striking is on a whole other level when compared to most other middleweights.
Adesanya Top UFC Knock Outs
Derek Brunson talked trash calling Adesanya skinny, saying that he needed to lift some weights and wasn’t worried about him. Well, he ended up catching a knee to the chin. He also caught a big left roundhouse to the side of the head followed by a not-quite-left-hook not-quite-cross right to the chin. And out go the lights.
Israel is listed as 17-0 but his UFC record is just 6-0. And in that span, he’s only knocked out Derek Brunson. In his Kick Boxing fights with Glory and Wu Lin Feng, he TKOd or KOd every opponent, but the UFC has been a different story.
Whittaker Top UFC Knock Outs
The Reaper has been inactive for a little while because his last scheduled Title bout against Kelvin Gastelum was canceled. Robert Whittaker now has 13 UFC Fights under his belt and has KOd/TKOd his opponents in six of those fights. So, Whittaker has as many UFC knockouts as Adesanya has UFC fights. That doesn’t mean that he’s a lock to win, it’s just a statistical fact.
Derek Brunson was also knocked out by Whittaker. Back in the Fight Night Melbourne event, Brunson walked into a storm that was raining knuckles. He caught a good hook on the chin, then an uppercut, then he ate a head kick, then went down and got his face smashed in until Herb Dean had to throw his body in between to save his life.
Ronaldo Souza was an even more recent victim of Whittaker’s quickness and power. With just under 2 minutes left in the second round, Whittaker smacked Jacare Souza with a big left that knocked him back a bit, then a big right leg connected right to the left side of Souza’s head from there it was a ground and pound until the fight was stopped.
UFC 243 Prediction
This is going to be an exciting fight. Neither one of these fighters can underestimate the other’s striking ability. Israel has superior Muy Thai skills and comes at his opponents from all angles, especially with sneaky knees. Whittaker is a bit more traditional MMA-Boxing type of standup fighter but he has deceptively quick hands and an uncanny ability to corral his opponents with his hands into devastating head kicks.
This fight could go either way, but I have to lean towards the more experienced fighter in Robert Whittaker on October 5th. Israel Adesanya has struggled to finish opponents since moving into the UFC. He couldn’t put a 44-year-old Anderson Silva away, Gastelum, and Brad Tavares took him all 5 rounds to the decision, and Marvin Vettori took him all three rounds to a decision as well. Whittaker has more momentum and experience.
