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Robert Whittaker has no intentions to to stop chasing the Middleweight strap as he believes that the trilogy with Adesanya is bound to happen. "The Reaper" lost a rematch for the middleweight championship to Adesanya at UFC 271 in February, but rebounded spectacularly at UFC Paris with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over top contender Marvin Vettori. Whittaker's 13th victory in his last 15 fights.
Whittaker, who successfully defended his No. 1 contender spot, stated that his ultimate goal is to become UFC champion again.
“I’m hunting that title shot,” Whittaker said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. “That’s what I’m doing and that’s what I’m always going to be doing because that’s the only up direction. I’m a fiend for progress, I just want to move forward.
Whittaker raised eyebrows in his post-fight speech at UFC Paris when he declared himself "the most dangerous man" in the middleweight division, a statement that required clarification given his two losses to Adesanya.
“I’m the most dangerous man in the division,” Whittaker said. “Izzy, he’s the champion of the division, he beat me the last fight as well. He’s a great fighter. But I’m the most dangerous man. I can beat anyone in the division. That last fight against Israel I got within a hair’s breadth of taking everything away from him. Just the fights that I’ve been in and the opponents that I’ve had, I’m not just beating them. I’m flogging them. There’s a difference in that.
Whittaker has hinted at moving up another weight class after beginning his UFC career at 170 pounds, and he believes that if he ever moves up to compete at 205 pounds, that is where he will eventually retire. For the time being, he's focused on Adesanya's next title defense against Alex Pereira, which takes place at UFC 281 on November 12.
Whoever wins, Whittaker believes he will remain at the top of any championship contender discussion. "I know I have one more shot at gold against Izzy if that's what it is, or if he gets dethroned," Whittaker said. "I believe that getting that third fight with Israel will be a deciding factor for that or whoever it is."
What do you guys reckon? Does Whittaker have one more shot at the Middleweight gold before moving to Light Heavyweight? Let us know your views in the comment.