Fox Sports Australia’s Nick Walshaw brings you all the latest news and views in Aussie and global MMA in his weekly column, The Takedown.
Robert Whittaker has rejected claims suggesting South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis will be a more dangerous fighter following nose surgery, saying: “I actually think it’s a very strange thing to get done in the fight game”.
Six weeks after first calling out du Plessis via Fox Sports Australia, Australia’s first UFC champ is now planning to knock the hyped Pretoria native cold at UFC 290 in July.
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As revealed by UFC boss Dana White last weekend, the two middleweight contenders will throw down at International Fight Week on July 9 in Las Vegas – with the winner then guaranteed a title shot against UFC superstar Adesanya, most likely in Australia.
The July card now looms as a genuine slobberknocker for Aussie fight fans, with UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski also defending his gold strap against Mexican Yair Rodriguez in the main event.
Then on the undercard, breakout Perth welterweight Jack Della Maddalena will look to keep his own unbeaten streak alive against No.9 ranked Sean Brady.
For Whittaker meanwhile, UFC 290 looms as his chance to earn a third – and likely, final – world title shot against Trans Tasman rival Adesanya.
Already, White has said he would like the fight to be in Sydney, which would suggest the company is backing a ‘Bobby Knuckles’ victory.
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Yet while Whittaker has opened a $1.26 favourite against du Plessis ($3.75), the South African’s camp is promising to unveil a completely new fighter to the one already ranked No.6 and unbeaten in five straight Octagon appearances.
Earlier this month, head coach Morne Visser responded to criticism of du Plessis’ gas tank by suggesting his oxygen intake through the nose had been limited to just eight per cent.
Visser added that, after three years battling with the problem, his charge had finally undergone surgery to fix said issue — despite having been “crushing our opponents with almost no oxygen between the rounds”.
So what does all this mean for Whittaker? And does he feel du Plessis may now be some overhauled, Cardio King following surgery?
“Mate, I actually think it’s a very strange thing to get done in the fight game,” he said.
“Most fighters, they don’t breath through their nose.
“I’ll certainly tell that when I’m fighting, I’m not breathing through my nose.
“I actually tried it once … (laughs) almost died.
“Because once you get tired, you breath through your mouth.
“So who knows?
“Maybe the operation makes his nose sore. And then when I punch him there, it becomes sorer again.”
While Whittaker does not expect surgery to have dramatically improved his rival, he also knows the challenge that stands between himself and a hyped Adesanya trilogy fight.
“I truly understand the threat Dricus presents,” he said.
“The guy is dangerous.
“But I also know I’m the best middleweight in the world — and I’m on the journey to proving that.”
HOW WHITTAKER JAGGED DU PLESSIS
Still on Whittaker, and the middleweight has revealed how “clutching at straws” effectively helped him jag July’s UFC title eliminator.
Back in March, Whittaker revealed in this column he was calling for a fight with South Africa’s du Plessis – despite the middleweight already angling for a shot at Adesanya.
Speaking prior to his own fight against Derek Brunson that same month, du Plessis created a stir over which UFC fighters best represented Africa, and what it would be like to be the nation’s first champion.
Those comments were poorly received by both Adesanya or former welterweight star Kamaru Usman — both of whom were born in Nigeria.
Yet while Adesanya has since regained his title against Alex Pereira – and spoken of his eagerness for a du Plessis showdown — he must now wait to see what happens with Whittaker first.
Asked for his take on the African showdown all, Whittaker shrugged: “That was just Dricus drumming up a storyline, trying his luck for a title shot.
“And stuff like that never hurts.
“Weirder things have happened.
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“But I also know that if you want to be in the Cool Kids Club, you have to go top five first. And once you do, there are consequences of being there.
“And one of them is facing dudes like me.”
Asked about why he initially called out du Plessis himself, Whittaker continued: “It really was just a thought in my head.
“I was clutching at straws.
“Looking for somebody who wasn’t tied up with a fight.
“And the UFC, they have been great. It’s just that there aren’t many people for me to fight.
“So I said put me in July against du Plessis.
“I said he’s the next guy in the rankings that I haven’t fought yet. So they said ‘OK, we’ll ask him’.
“They did and he accepted. Good on him.”
Given White’s recent announcement that the winner of this fight will face Adesanya, and most likely in Sydney, does Whittaker feel the company is now cheering him on?
“Maybe,” he said.
“But Sydney is close to Adesanya as well. So if the UFC haven’t got anything booked in New Zealand, it really is an obvious choice for them to do it here.”
While Whittaker has not scored a finish in his most recent six wins, plenty of fight experts are now tipping exactly that against du Plessis.
“But when you reach this level, everyone in the top five has got it all,” he said.
“They’re strong, well rounded, got chins, cardio … they’re all tough bastards.
“But that won’t stop me from trying to knock him out. And I do put my hands on opponents enough to give it a test.”
IZZY’S INJURY REVEAL
ISRAEL Adesanya has revealed how he regained the UFC middleweight title against Alex Pereira despite suffering an MCL tear only days early.
Speaking on his YouTube channel Thursday, Adesanya explained how he suffered the grade one tear – and showed video of the sequence — while training a week before the fight.
Adesanya also promised to make Dricus du Plessis pay for his statements about wanting to become the first African champion.
“I’m going to take him to school, in the octagon and on history,” Adesanya said.
“What he’s doing is creating divide.
“You can’t know your history — I have never questioned him as an African because, yeah, you were born in Africa. South Africa. Of course you’re an African.
“I have never questioned that.
“But who the f … is this cracker to tell me who the f … I am? Who the f … Kamaru [Usman] is, who the f … [Francis] Ngannou is?
“I’m like, are you dumb? As a product of colonization, you’re trying to tell me who the f … I am.
“You can take the boy out of Africa, but you can never take the Africa out of the boy.
“I never, ever did that to him. I never discredited him as an African.
“You want to make a fight? Cool. But the fact that as a f…ing cracker, to tell me who the f … I am, that pissed me off.
“And that’s why he’s my next fight. I don’t want to fight anyone else. This one pisses me off.”
