In his fights since holding the UFC Middleweight belt, Robert Whittaker has put together a remarkable run. Like Max Holloway, he has continued to face some of the organization’s toughest opposition. Although he has not recaptured the belt, his body of work deserves special mention.
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To earn a rematch with Israel Adesanya, Whittaker had to beat Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. All three had challenged for a UFC belt in the past, and Whittaker beat them all in impressive fashion. Furthermore, Whittaker performed admirably in his rematch with Adesanya. Despite his loss, he fought a competitive fight on the scorecards, and seemingly gained momentum in the final rounds.
Image – MMA Fighting
Whittaker then proceeded to dominate Marvin Vettori, another former title challenger. At the time, Vettori had just beaten Paulo Costa in impressive fashion. Yet Whittaker completely shut him down, both on the feet and on the ground. At this point, it seemed that no one other than Adesanya could challenge him.
When Dricus du Plessis finished Whittaker at UFC 290, everyone considered it a shocking upset. Since then, however, Dricus has gone on to capture the undisputed title against Sean Strickland. In addition, Dricus submitted Israel Adesanya in epic fashion. This loss, although devastating, has aged incredibly well for Whittaker.
Even now, Whittaker has continued to remain dangerous. He fought a thrilling battle against Paulo Costa, himself a former title challenger. Despite eating a flush wheel kick, Whittaker rallied through adversity and claimed the win. Then, after his original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev withdrew from their bout, Whittaker faced Ikram Aliskerov on short notice. Although Aliskerov has proven to be a threat, Whittaker quickly finished him in the first round. Currently, it looks as though Whittaker will look to fight Khamzat, as originally intended.
Image – New York Times
Legacy
With good reason, title defenses generally form the bulk of a champion’s legacy. However, while Whittaker has not fought many title fights recently, his wins are no less impressive. One could argue that his post title reign has been equally impressive, if not more so, than his championship days themselves.
Image – The Fight Site
It is possible that Whittaker will never become a champion again. Khamzat Chimaev will be a tough battle for him. Even if Whittaker does win, opponents such as du Plessis or Strickland are great fighters themselves. But even if he fails to reclaim the belt, we should appreciate Robert Whittaker’s run while it lasts.
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