The Film Room: Robert Whittaker
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Reigning middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year when he takes on interim titleholder Israel Adesanya in a unification bout atop UFC 243 this Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. Whittaker has made only one appearance since Adesanya joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship in February 2018, though long layoffs have been commonplace for him.
Whittaker debuted as an 18-year-old in 2009, amassed a 9-2 record
and was cast on “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” three years
later. He went on to win the competition -- he defeated Bradley
Scott in the final -- and earned a UFC contract at the age of
21. Whittaker has won 10 of his 12 bouts inside the Octagon and
established himself as one of the sport’s premier strikers, all
while improving his grappling skills to a point where he can hold
his own against some of the middleweight division’s best.
“Bobby Knuckles” steps into the spotlight in this edition of The Film Room.
This is one of the most intriguing fights of the year for many reasons. They are at the peaks of their prime; they have ties to Oceania; and neither of them has fought anybody with the skill set the other brings to the cage. Whittaker has fallen in love with front kick combos recently, and they would work wonders against the rangy Adesanya. Whittaker is a master at closing distance and knows simply walking forward will get him nowhere, so he elects to jab his way into the pocket or use one of these kicks to close the distance. Notice how he throws it with the rear leg while stepping into the opposite stance to set up his left hand. The front kick backs up the opponent and allows Whittaker to step into punching range, and the switching left hook comes at an unexpected angle if the switch was unnoticed.
Whittaker mainly stands orthodox, but he will switch between stances to create dominate angles for his strikes. Adesanya heavily relies on creating angles for his attacks and struggles when his opponents are not attacking in a straight line. Whittaker is always slightly shifting his stance, and if he does come forward with a straight-line attack, you can expect another strike coming from an angle, such as his front kick into the left hook.
Whittaker’s style carries plenty of intrigue, as he mixes classic boxing techniques with his Goju-Ryu karate background and philosophies. He keeps his lead hand low like a karateka but turns in his lead shoulder and feet to acquire a “Philly Shell”-like stance. The low lead hand allows his punches to come in at odd angles while being ready to grab an underhook to defend takedowns. The keys to Whittaker’s leading attacks are his pacing and ability to cover distance quickly, which come from his karate days. Against Ronaldo Souza, Whittaker managed to defend the takedowns and keep pushing forward, which had “Jacare” gassed and flustered after one round. Something to notice about his leading attacks: He mixes in his technical prowess with wild power shots and exchanges in the pocket that make him all the more unpredictable.
Whittaker can be a hard fighter to read, as he does not throw many of the same combos over and over again. Something he does throw in nearly every fight is a dipping head kick reminiscent of T.J. Dillashaw. Notice how Whittaker will dip far to his left when throwing the high kick. This is a rhythm-manipulating strike that relies on the opponent’s timing to land. Once Whittaker’s upper body is bent to the left, the opponent is expecting the kick to already be at its target. However, Whittaker dips to his left and swings the leg over just a second slower than usual, which can catch opponents as they drop their guard from the odd timing. What is interesting about this is that both men rely on rhythm manipulation for success on the feet. Neither Whittaker nor Adesanya is the most athletic fighter, but they got to this level because they are smarter than most. Instead of relying on athleticism, speed and power, they both rely on manipulating the opponent’s reactions and making reads throughout a fight. They fight smarter, not harder.
Along with the front kicks come these sidekicks to the thighs and knees. In the first right with Yoel Romero, Whittaker’s ACL was torn with one of these side kicks to the knee, and in the rematch, he returned the favor. Not only are these kicks the perfect set up for your boxing, but they also severely limit the opponent’s movement and can be very damaging strikes, even though they may not look like much. These would work perfectly against someone like Adesanya, who relies on footwork and movement for his offense and defense. If Whittaker can limit his movement, Adesanya is probably in for a long night.
Although Whittaker is capable of putting on a striking masterclass, the most impressive aspect of his game has been his takedown defense. Against Souza, Whittaker managed to defend all but one takedown; and in two fights with Romero, Whittaker defended 21 of 28 takedowns, even with a torn ACL in the first fight. When he is taken down, he has shown he can quickly get to his feet, and if Romero and “Jacare” cannot hold him down, it seems doubtful that anyone at 185 pounds can. No one expects to see much grappling in this fight, but if it does hit the ground, the advantage has to go to Whittaker. He has already proven he can nullify two of the best grapplers in the division.
Reigning middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year when he takes on interim titleholder Israel Adesanya in a unification bout atop UFC 243 this Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. Whittaker has made only one appearance since Adesanya joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship in February 2018, though long layoffs have been commonplace for him.
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“Bobby Knuckles” steps into the spotlight in this edition of The Film Room.
This is one of the most intriguing fights of the year for many reasons. They are at the peaks of their prime; they have ties to Oceania; and neither of them has fought anybody with the skill set the other brings to the cage. Whittaker has fallen in love with front kick combos recently, and they would work wonders against the rangy Adesanya. Whittaker is a master at closing distance and knows simply walking forward will get him nowhere, so he elects to jab his way into the pocket or use one of these kicks to close the distance. Notice how he throws it with the rear leg while stepping into the opposite stance to set up his left hand. The front kick backs up the opponent and allows Whittaker to step into punching range, and the switching left hook comes at an unexpected angle if the switch was unnoticed.
Whittaker mainly stands orthodox, but he will switch between stances to create dominate angles for his strikes. Adesanya heavily relies on creating angles for his attacks and struggles when his opponents are not attacking in a straight line. Whittaker is always slightly shifting his stance, and if he does come forward with a straight-line attack, you can expect another strike coming from an angle, such as his front kick into the left hook.
Whittaker’s style carries plenty of intrigue, as he mixes classic boxing techniques with his Goju-Ryu karate background and philosophies. He keeps his lead hand low like a karateka but turns in his lead shoulder and feet to acquire a “Philly Shell”-like stance. The low lead hand allows his punches to come in at odd angles while being ready to grab an underhook to defend takedowns. The keys to Whittaker’s leading attacks are his pacing and ability to cover distance quickly, which come from his karate days. Against Ronaldo Souza, Whittaker managed to defend the takedowns and keep pushing forward, which had “Jacare” gassed and flustered after one round. Something to notice about his leading attacks: He mixes in his technical prowess with wild power shots and exchanges in the pocket that make him all the more unpredictable.
Whittaker can be a hard fighter to read, as he does not throw many of the same combos over and over again. Something he does throw in nearly every fight is a dipping head kick reminiscent of T.J. Dillashaw. Notice how Whittaker will dip far to his left when throwing the high kick. This is a rhythm-manipulating strike that relies on the opponent’s timing to land. Once Whittaker’s upper body is bent to the left, the opponent is expecting the kick to already be at its target. However, Whittaker dips to his left and swings the leg over just a second slower than usual, which can catch opponents as they drop their guard from the odd timing. What is interesting about this is that both men rely on rhythm manipulation for success on the feet. Neither Whittaker nor Adesanya is the most athletic fighter, but they got to this level because they are smarter than most. Instead of relying on athleticism, speed and power, they both rely on manipulating the opponent’s reactions and making reads throughout a fight. They fight smarter, not harder.
Along with the front kicks come these sidekicks to the thighs and knees. In the first right with Yoel Romero, Whittaker’s ACL was torn with one of these side kicks to the knee, and in the rematch, he returned the favor. Not only are these kicks the perfect set up for your boxing, but they also severely limit the opponent’s movement and can be very damaging strikes, even though they may not look like much. These would work perfectly against someone like Adesanya, who relies on footwork and movement for his offense and defense. If Whittaker can limit his movement, Adesanya is probably in for a long night.
Although Whittaker is capable of putting on a striking masterclass, the most impressive aspect of his game has been his takedown defense. Against Souza, Whittaker managed to defend all but one takedown; and in two fights with Romero, Whittaker defended 21 of 28 takedowns, even with a torn ACL in the first fight. When he is taken down, he has shown he can quickly get to his feet, and if Romero and “Jacare” cannot hold him down, it seems doubtful that anyone at 185 pounds can. No one expects to see much grappling in this fight, but if it does hit the ground, the advantage has to go to Whittaker. He has already proven he can nullify two of the best grapplers in the division.
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