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UFC 243: Alex Volkanovski breaks down Israel Adesanya v Robert Whittaker middleweight title clash

By Christopher Reive

Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·

22 Sep, 2019 05:00 PM5 mins to read

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Robert whittaker and Israel Adesanya will square off for the undisputed middleweight championship at UFC 243. Photos / Getty Images

In the world of mixed martial arts, fight IQ goes a long way. While plenty of those who watch the sport simply want to see the fighters brawl, the ability to read an opponent, adjust on the fly and calculate shots can be the difference between having your hand raised and having your lights knocked out.

It's an idea the UFC's elite know all too well, and when the UFC descends on Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on October 6, those in attendance at the near 60,000-seat stadium will get to witness two of the smartest fighters in the game duke it out for the UFC's middleweight championship.

Kiwi Israel Adesanya and Auckland-born Australian Robert Whittaker know how to win fights. Adesanya is undefeated in 17 MMA bouts with 13 knockout victories to his credit; Whittaker has won 20 of his 24 professional bouts, and is unbeaten since June 2014.

It's a match up tantalising enough to excite fans and fellow fighters alike and, as the UFC featherweight division's No1 contender Alex Volkanovski says, it's not an easy fight to pick.

The Reaper 🆚 The Last Stylebender. A match up of EPIC proportions.

Oct 6th. Melbourne. 🎟🎟s: https://t.co/abQbJem8uD pic.twitter.com/Y7Kk6KQpKc
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) September 15, 2019

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"It's just two very high-level fighters trying to figure each other out," Volkanovski says. "It's not going to be easy for anyone to do anything.

"They're both going to be trying to get each other going at their rhythm. They both like to go at their rhythm and just do their thing.

"It's going to be chopping and changing every second and they're just going to have to adapt to what's in front of them.

Israel Adesanya is unbeaten in 17 professional MMA bouts. Photo / Getty Images

"It's going to be an unreal fight. I just can't wait to watch it. I have no idea how it's going to go down."

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Whittaker, the reigning champion, has had limited octagon time in the past couple of years - having fought just once since August of 2017 due to health and injury issues. Because of a stomach issue suffered in February, he's not the only fighter going into this match up with a title.

Adesanya won the interim title back in April, defeating American Kelvin Gastelum in a five-round epic. The bout was set up to allow Whittaker time to recover from surgery in February, while also giving two deserving contenders a shot at clinching UFC gold.

Both fighters have seen off every challenge thrown at them in the middleweight division. Whittaker is 8-0 since moving up from welterweight in 2014, with notable wins over Cuban star Yoel Romero as well as Brazilian Ronaldo Souza and American Derek Brunson.

Robert Whittaker hasn't lost a bout since 2014. Photo / Getty Images

Adesanya has seen off all six of his opponents his making his UFC debut in February 2018, counting wins over Gastelum, Brunson and Brazilian legend Anderson Silva.

"They're the highest level by far in that division," Volkanovski said. "It's two very high level fighters – who knows what they're planning."

It's no secret Adesanya's strength is on his feet. With a decorated background in kickboxing, his unique, fluid style and power makes him a very tough match up, and he's shown glimpses of his elite takedown defence and solid grappling ability.

A striking battle won't faze Whittaker, though. While the 28-year-old has a background in the grappling-focused martial art hapkido and was selected to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games in wrestling, he prefers to stay on his feet inside the octagon. In 13 UFC fights, he's attempted just seven takedowns, landing four.

"We don't usually see Whittaker with his wrestling, he's usually happy on his feet. He's unorthodox and knows how to really calculate his unorthodox style," Volkanovski explained.

Alex Volkanovski will fight for the UFC featherweight title in Las Vegas in December. Photo / Getty Images

"It's a little bit different between wrestling and MMA. A lot of people think they can wrestle in an MMA sort of situation, but when strikes and all that are coming at you it's not that easy. Rob is definitely a very smart fighter with a good fighter IQ and I'm sure he mixes it up really well so we'll just have to wait and see.

"Israel's known for his striking. He's one of the best strikers in the world, so does (Whittaker) strike with him? I don't know. I know he's got legit wrestling and stuff like that so it will be very interesting to see what happens."

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