Robert Whittaker reveals biggest threat Israel Adesanya faces against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia
Robert Whittaker believes he knows the biggest challenge that lies ahead of UFC Saudi Arabia for Israel Adesanya.
Whittaker and Adesanya have become quite chummy recently. The two now train together, and “The Reaper” helped “The Last Stylebender” prepare for Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya and Imavov will collide this Saturday in the main event of a UFC Saudi Arabia card.
Ahead of fight night, Whittaker has discussed one key threat that Adesanya has been preparing for.
Israel Adesanya Must Counter Nassourdine Imavov’s Grappling
In a new edition of the “MMArcade Podcast,” Robert Whittaker shared his belief that Nassordine Imavov’s grappling must be thwarted if Israel Adesanya expects to walk out of the anb Arena with the win.
“Imavov’s grappling is very good,” Whittaker said. “He gets the back of just about every opponent he fights. That’s kind of where the fight wins for him. He doesn’t beat Izzy in a five-round striking contest. He takes him down, he tries to get his back, he gets his back and whether or not Izzy defends that position, holds out, gets out of it. Obviously, the idea with Adesanya moving into the fight is going to be to not give the back up at all costs.”
Whittaker is confident that Adesanya will be able to pick Imavov apart on the feet and stuff the takedowns. He also feels Adesanya will be able to scramble out of any bad positions on the ground. We’ll see if “The Last Stylebender” can get 2025 started on the right foot, as he seeks his first win since 2023.
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Topics:
Israel Adesanya Nassourdine Imavov Robert Whittaker UFC
