Outside Source
Robert Whittaker recently made his case for a matchup against Sean Strickland.
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While both Whittaker and Strickland have long been among the top middleweights in the UFC, they haven’t fought during their respective promotional tenures. Both are now at a crossroads in their careers and coming off losses. Whittaker believes it is the right time for a bout against “Tarzan.”
During a recent appearance on the “On Paper” podcast podcast with Anthony Smith, Whittaker revealed that he is excited by the idea of trying to figure out Strickland’s trademark defensive style.
“I think Strickland makes a good argument to have. Because I feel like we’ve both been in that top sort of pond for a while, circling each other,” Whittaker said. “For whatever reason we haven’t been matched up, but we’ve both been in proximity for a while. And it’s most likely the fight to make. I’m excited by that fight. I look at his style, and I find it curious. I find it exciting to try and work out.”
Whittaker has sandwiched wins over Ikram Aliskerov and Paulo Costa between losses against Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. “Bobby Knuckles” most recently suffered a first-round submission loss against Chimaev at UFC 308 this past October.
Meanwhile, Strickland has sandwiched a decision win over Costa between title losses against Du Plessis. While Strickland suffered a close split-decision loss in the first matchup with Du Plessis at UFC 297 last year, he dropped a lopsided unanimous decision against the champ in their rematch at UFC 312 earlier this month. Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick publicly called the performance “uninspiring,” which he later admitted was a mistake.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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