Brendan Schaub pleads with Robert Whittaker to fight at welterweight following Israel Adesanya loss

By Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2022

Following Robert Whittaker’s second loss to Israel Adesanya, Brendan Schaub has stated his case why ‘The Reaper’ should look downward.

Brendan Schaub

The former middleweight champion faced off with ‘The Last Stylebender’ again this past weekend at UFC 271. Their first encounter in 2019 saw Robert Whittaker get brutally knocked out in the second round.

The rematch saw ‘The Reaper’ fare much better. However, his effort didn’t pay off in terms of the scorecards. He fell to Adesanya for the second time, this time losing via unanimous decision.

Now, days after the fight, Brendan Schaub has stated the case for why Robert Whittaker should move down to welterweight. The former UFC heavyweight opined that it’s unlikely he’ll fight for the 185-pound title anytime soon. He also referenced Whittaker’s previous stint at welterweight make it an obvious choice.

Robert Whittaker

Image Credit: UFC

“Robert Whittaker used to fight at 170, he’s not a big welterweight. That reach advantage that Israel Adesanya has on him is a huge issue for him. You saw him miss a million punches, the reach and distance is a huge issue for him. Well, it won’t be an issue for him at 170. Yeah I know, he’s better at 185, but at this point in his career, he’s a completely different animal. A better, much skilled fighter.” – said Brendan Schaub on the Schaub Show podcast.

Brendan Schaub continued, “Kamaru Usman doesn’t really have guys to fight either.. If I’m Whittaker’s team, I’m looking at cutting to 170 and doing a super-fight against Kamaru Usman.”

Brendan Schaub might be correct about Robert Whittaker’s next move being a drop down to welterweight. However, ‘The Reaper’ has to hope that it goes better than his first stint down at 170-pounds.

Whittaker’s first 16 fights were down at welterweight, compiling a 12-4 professional record. While not bad, he looked like a completely different animal at middleweight. He’s gone 11-2 up at 185-pounds, with the sole losses coming to Israel Adesanya.

What do you think about Brendan Schaub’s comments about Robert Whittaker?