Robert Whittaker wonders if Israel Adesanya will come back a different fighter after the longest layoff of his UFC career.
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) went out of action for 11 months after losing his middleweight title to Sean Strickland last September at UFC 293. In the meantime, Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) outlasted Strickland to claim the belt at UFC 297.
Now Adesanya will get an opportunity to reclaim his title when he challenges Du Plessis in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Based off their most recent outings against common opponent Strickland, Whittaker sees a blueprint for Du Plessis to beat Adesanya.
