There are two fighters that stand above the rest of the world at middleweight. One is the champion, Israel Adesanya, undefeated at 185 and looking very much like an all-time great. The other is the man he beat for the belt in 2019, Robert Whittaker, a living legend who may be better now than he’s ever been.
They’re not the only contenders worth their salt at 185, to be sure. Paulo Costa is still mean, in his prime, and motivated to avenge his humiliation at Adesanya’s hands. Derek Brunson is on the run of his decade-long career. And then there’s Marvin Vettori, one of the best rising fighters on the UFC roster, who’s angrily forced his way into the title conversation over the last year.
Vettori’s dominant unanimous decision wins over ranked contenders Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland in his last two fights have had him calling for the next shot at Adesanya, who should soon be returning to 185 after coming up short in his bid for light heavyweight gold earlier this year. Adesanya is the last man to beat Vettori, while they were both on the way up, and Vettori gave him a stern challenge. It would be a great title matchup.
One week after Vettori ruthlessly took Holland down again and again in the main event at the UFC Apex, Robert Whittaker had to do the young Italian one better. In his own main event live on ESPN, Whittaker was facing Kelvin Gastelum, the powerful, triple-tough scrapper whom Whittaker was supposed to face for the middleweight title in 2018.
Whittaker has been in the process of restoring his stock after his crushing knockout loss to Adesanya and his subsequent crisis of confidence. Against Jared Cannonier in October, he showed signs that the old Bobby Knuckles was returning. And against Gastelum, Whittaker completely removed any doubt of who should get the next shot at the belt.
Robert Whittaker could retire tomorrow and be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But never in his career has he looked better than he did on Saturday night. Whittaker was a ghost for five rounds, unable to be trapped, unable to be pinned down, fighting circles around Gastelum in a shutout win. It was a legend at the top of his game.
Gastelum has struggled for wins over the last couple years, but he still presents some unique challenges for any opponent. Although he’s a thick guy who has struggled with his weight at times, he’s almost startlingly quick. He’s never been a master technician, but his punches carry huge danger. And he seems almost superhumanly impervious to getting rocked – he can eat everything you throw at him and keep coming. Most importantly, he has the heart of a lion.
Those traits have resulted in Gastelum being involved in some of the most unforgettable wars in the sport’s history. Whittaker solved those problems by never letting Gastelum touch him. Whittaker put on a technical masterclass on Saturday night: his footwork was immaculate, every strike he threw set up his next, his jab was on point, and he mixed everything together beautifully. And while Whittaker was unable (like almost everyone else in existence) to drop Gastelum, he provided a signature highlight when he hurt Gastelum with the gorgeous right high kick that he’s made famous.
Gastelum dutifully pushed forward for 25 minutes, but trying to catch Robert Whittaker is like trying to pick up water with your hands. Vettori was cageside for the fight, if only to bear witness for his chances of being Adesanya’s next challenger slipping away in person.
There’s absolutely zero doubt now that Bobby Knuckles is back, better than ever, and ready for his next shot. And the UFC has been wise to slow-burn it – the Whittaker that came back to face Darren Till, while a winning fighter, was not the best version of himself. That Whittaker isn’t beating Izzy. He needed to fight a couple of times, struggle, win, and rebuild his confidence.
Now, Robert Whittaker has regained his peak form. Israel Adesanya is waiting. What results may be the biggest middleweight showdown in mixed martial arts history.
The Big Fight 