UFC: Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya bout dubbed a true battle for global supremacy
UFC analyst Chael Sonnen says Robert Whittaker will claim the “greatest fighter on the planet” crown with a win over undefeated Israel Adesanya in their super fight in Melbourne.
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Forget best in Australia, Robert Whittaker is one win from becoming the greatest UFC fighter on the planet.
Only two weeks before his UFC 234 blockbuster, Whittaker has opened up to The Saturday Telegraph about suggestions a win over undefeated prodigy Israel Adesanya will have him crowned the undisputed pound-for-pound king.
Earlier this week, ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen insisted the Melbourne headliner on October 6 — which is tracking for a sellout of almost 60,000 at Marvel Arena in Melbourne — will determine “who is the absolute best in the world”.
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Currently, Whittaker sits at No.10 on the pound-for-pound rankings.
He would undoubtedly sit higher except for injury having kept him from the octagon since June, 2018.
However, with the 28-year-old on an undefeated run of 10 wins, and Adesanya yet to taste defeat in 17 professional fights, Sonnen insists the Sydneysider will take top spot if he triumphs on NRL grand final day.
“I just feel for the first time in the history of MMA, Whittaker versus Adesanya will provide us with the answer to who is the best fighter in the sport,” Sonnen said on his Beyond The Fight podcast.
“So many times we’ll see a very good fighter put on a very good performance and then crown them the best. We've seen this since the beginning of time.
“We saw Mike Tyson knocking out tomato cans and declared him the best.
“(But) I think that on a very rare occasion you actually have the best guys, and they’re not just fighting for the king of middleweight, and an undisputed title, and nationalist pride, I think they’re also fighting to find out who the absolute best in the world is.”
To which Whittaker says what?
“Yeah, pretty cool,” he said on Friday, shortly after a training session. “I've always liked Chael. And, undoubtedly, this is one of the most anticipated fights ever on this side of the world. Although, to be honest, I never look too closely at those pound-for-pound rankings.
“As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to be better than everyone … I just need to be better than whichever guy is next.”
Still, the crown of greatest UFC fighter would be a nice one to carry, right?
“I know I'm one of the best fighters in the world,” Whittaker said. “But to claim that you're the best, I think that's a hard one. And it's because anyone can have a bad night.
“Maybe you don't sleep well and get beat. It can happen. But I know where I'm at.”
Certainly Sonnen’s claims will create plenty of debate among hardcore MMA fans.
Currently, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones is ranked No.1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Second is lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov, while Henry Cejudo, the flyweight and bantamweight champion, is third.
Adesanya, who has fought six times in the UFC without loss, is 14th.
Asked how he was feeling a fortnight out from an event that looks set to break every UFC live attendance record, Whittaker said: “Best preparation I've ever had. I was already fit coming into camp so now it really is about fine tuning.”