Robert Whittaker on Jared Cannonier’s Performance
Robert Whittaker was asked for his assessment on the UFC Vegas 75 headliner during an ESPN post-fight show. The former UFC Middleweight Champion said that while he envisioned Jared Cannonier winning the fight, the performance wasn’t what he expected (h/t MMAMania.com).
“I picked Cannonier to win this fight, but I didn’t pick this Cannonier,” he said during the ESPN post-fight show. “I didn’t envision seeing this pressure fighter Cannonier who just crowds and closing the gap. You saw during the fight Cannonier had Marvin’s hands a lot of the times because he was that close. I didn’t pick him coming out with this approach but it obviously worked to great effect.”
These two are no strangers to one another. Robert Whittaker defeated Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision at UFC 254 back in October 2020.
Robert Whitter is the number two-ranked UFC middleweight. That ranking is at stake against Dricus du Plessis. The bout is set to take place at UFC 290 on July 8. Many believe the winner will receive a shot at Israel Adesanya’s UFC Middleweight Championship.
As for “The Killa Gorilla,” he’s likely to jump to the number three spot on the UFC middleweight rankings. Going into his fight with Vettori, Cannonier was the fourth-ranked UFC 185-pounder. Vettori was ranked number three.
