The UFC is returning to Australia with a blockbuster UFC 243 pay-per-view card featuring Robert Whittaker defending his middleweight belt against Israel Adesanya.
UFC 243 Countdown: Full Episode
A middleweight title unification bout headlines UFC 243. Robert Whittaker defends his belt against interim champion Israel Adesanya. Plus, Al Iaquinta takes on Dan Hooker. See these athletes train and prepare ahead of their bouts.Robert Whittaker - The Reaper / Bobby Knuckles (20-4-0, Australia)
In 2012 Whittaker was chose to be a cast member on UFC’s realty television competition ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. He made it to the finals of the competition and at UFC on FX 6 beat Brad Scott to win the competition and a UFC contract. He took full advantage of the opportunity. Ince joining the UFC he has won 11 of 13 fights including fighting against Yoel Romero for the UFC middleweight championship. This will be Whittaker's first title defense against somebody not named Yoel Romero, as he claimed the interim title over the Cuban fighter in 2017 before it was elevated to full crown after Georges St-Pierre vacated the belt shortly after beating Michael Bisping. Whittaker beat Romero in the rematch in 2018 by split decision.
Pros: He is an on of the best wrestler in the ring. His cardio is uotstanding. He fought in multiple 5 round bouts in which his cardio held up extremly well.
Robert Whittaker last bouts:
- Win(Dec) over Yoel Romero (UFC 225, Round 6 - Jun 2018)
- Win(UD) over Yoel Romero (UFC 213, Round 5 - Jul 2017)
- Win(TKO) over Ronaldo Souza (UFC on Fox 24, Round 2 - Apr 2017)
- Win(TKO) over Derek Brunson (UFC FN 101, Round 1 - Nov 2016)
Israel Adesanya - The Last Stylebender (17-0-0, Nigeria)
Although he was born in Lagos and trained in Taekwondo at an early age, The Style Bender began the true journey after he moved to New Zealand. It was there at the age of 13 that he began practicing the arts of Kickboxing and Muay Thai. At the age of 18 he became an amateur kickboxer.
After a 32-0 amateur kickboxing he moved back to New Zealand and began focusing on MMA in addition to kickboxing.In 2012 he made his professional MMA debut. In the next 5 years fighting in various countries he amassed an 11-0 MMA record. In 2017 it was announced that Israel Adesanya had signed a multi-fight contract with UFC. He made his debut at UFC 221 against Rob Wilkinson. He won that fight by TKO.
Pros: He is one of the top strikers in professional MMA right now and extremly fast inside the ring.
Israel Adesanya last bouts:
- Win(UD) over Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236, Round 5 - Apr 2019)
- Win(UD) over Anderson Silva (UFC 234, Round 3 - Feb 2019)
- Win(TKO) over Derek Brunson (UFC 230, Round 1 - Nov 2018)
- Win(UD) over Brad Tavares (UFC - The Ultimate Fighter 27, Round 5 - Jul 2018)
Who will win?
We can expect a very close fight between two of the best strikers in MMA, but it’s fairly difficult not to favor Whittaker here. Both were in draining and punishing bouts their last time out, and while Whittaker’s probably took more out of him, Adesanya’s is a lot more telling given who he’s facing next.UFC 243 Fight Card
Robert Whittaker
24-7-0
24-7-0
Main Card
Israel Adesanya
24-2-0
24-2-0
Al Iaquinta
14-6-0
14-6-0
Main Card
Dan Hooker
23-12-0
23-12-0
Tai Tuivasa
14-6-0
14-6-0
Main Card
Sergey Spivak
16-3-0
16-3-0
Luke Jumeau
13-4-0
13-4-0
Main Card
Dhiego Lima
15-8-0
15-8-0
Yorgan De Castro
6-2-0
6-2-0
Main Card
Justin Tafa
7-3-0
7-3-0
Jake Matthews
19-6-0
19-6-0
Preliminary
Rostem Akman
6-1-0
6-1-0
Maki Pitolo
13-8-0
13-8-0
Preliminary
Callan Potter
18-8-0
18-8-0
Megan Anderson
11-4-0
11-4-0
Preliminary
Zarah Fairn dos Santos
6-5-0
6-5-0
Brad Riddell
10-3-0
10-3-0
Early Preliminary
Jamie Mullarkey
17-6-0
17-6-0
Nadia Kassem
5-2-0
5-2-0
Early Preliminary
Ji Yeon Kim
9-6-2
9-6-2
Khalid Taha
13-4-0
13-4-0
Early Preliminary
Bruno Silva
12-5-2
12-5-2
Where to watch Whittaker Vs Adesanya UFC 243 Live
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| World streams | UFC Fight Pass |
