UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (20-4) has praised the performance of the unbeaten interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (17-0) who defeated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236. According to “The Reaper”, the Nigerian-born Kiwi showed “a lot of heart”, but he’s “hittable”.
Whittaker was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum in February but the champion was rushed to hospital for abdominal surgery on the morning of the scheduled bout.
“He showed a lot of heart. He got hit a little bit and came back,” said Whittaker. He was very accurate, with high volume. It was a very impressive win.
“He’s hittable. I’m better at striking than Gastelum. I’m going to punch him and I am very, very good at it, very fast and hit hard and he doesn’t like getting hit.”
UFC President Dana White said that a potential championship fight between Whittaker and Adesanya will be held in Australia, as this will be without a doubt the biggest martial arts event in the history of the continent.