Robert Whittaker says he has “a couple of things up my sleeve” for Israel Adesanya in potential rematch

Robert Whittaker knows he has to fight differently if he rematches Israel Adesanya.

At UFC 243, Whittaker suffered a second-round knockout loss to Adesanya to lose his middleweight title. Since the loss, he rebounded nicely with a five-round decision win over Darren Till on Fight Island and followed that up with a decision over Jared Cannonier.

Whittaker is now set to return on April 17 against Kelvin Gastelum. Although if he wins, it would be his third in a row, he still isn’t sure if that would be enough to earn a title shot. If it doesn’t, Whittaker says he will just keep on fighting.

“It’s hard to say, the UFC and Izzy have all the power,” Whittaker said to ESPN of a second crack at Adesanya. “So I’m just looking at this as it’s how I make a living, this is my job and I love my job, I enjoy making a living providing for my family like this. So I’m just going to do my thing, I’m going to work hard, earn my money, and then I’m going to enjoy time with my family and the lifestyle that it provides me.”

Image via @ufc on Instagram

In a potential rematch, Robert Whittaker knows he would fight Adesanya a lot better. He knows he can’t just mimic what Jan Blachowicz did as the Pole used his strength and size to win the fight. However, the Aussie likes his chances in a rematch against the champ.

“Perhaps, perhaps, it’s very hard to adapt the plans without (Blachowicz’s) power. But we’ve got to wait and see how Izzy comes back down to middleweight,” Whittaker said. “I’ve got a couple of things up my sleeve I’m looking to try next time we cross paths, so we’ll wait and see.”

In order for Whittaker to even get the rematch, he will need to beat Kelvin Gastelum on April 17.

Do you think Robert Whittaker would beat Israel Adesanya in a rematch?