Robert Whittaker says Sean Strickland could be next opponent

Robert Whittaker can see a situation wherein he fights Sean Strickland subsequent.

Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) was pegged as a possible title challenger for middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, after Adesanya claimed that Dricus Du Plessis is coping with a foot harm.

Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) emerged as a No. 1 contender after ending Whittaker by TKO at UFC 290, however with Adesanya but to have his subsequent title protection booked, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) thinks he may find yourself preventing Strickland subsequent.

“Keep in mind, we dominated out Sean Strickland as a result of we thought he was preventing Izzy in September,” Whittaker stated on his MMArcade Podcast. “However that doesn’t look to be taking place anymore. I can’t see Sean Strickland leaping Dricus in the event that they don’t combat September. I’m not going to rule him out of the dialogue of my subsequent combat. We’re going to have to attend and see.”

Whittaker’s loss to Du Plessis marked his first at 185 kilos exterior of title-fight setbacks to Adesanya. He’s already again within the health club, as he awaits the highest of the middleweight division to play out.

“It’s a kind of issues – the division is type of backed up in the mean time and there’s a variety of shifting items which can be simply not shifting in the best way I would like them to,” Whittaker stated. “However regardless, I’m going to give attention to simply getting again into that profitable observe. I’m excited for the coaching. I’m again in coaching already. I’ve been again within the health club hustling and I’m extra keen than ever to get again in there. So I don’t know who it’s going to be, however we’ll wait and see.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 293.