Prediction for the fight Robert Whittaker vs Drykus Du Plessis

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker will arrive in Las Vegas on July 9 to welcome South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis to the elite. Bold, arrogant and cocky "Stillknocks" is already looking behind his counterpart, in every possible way knocking out a meeting with Israel Adesanya. However, at UFC 290, Whittaker will be a nightmare, as he has not faced a fighter of this caliber once in 10 years of professional sports. Will it help Drickus that Stylebender is rooting for him and wishing him victory?

• Robert Whittaker vs Drykus Du Plessis;
• Robert Whittaker;
• Drykus Du Plessis;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Robert Whittaker vs Drykus Du Plessis

Robert Whittaker

Australian "Reaper", ranked first in the ranking (Pereira has left the chat). Robert has three black belts in BJJ, Karate and Hapkido. In addition, he became a pretty confident fighter, although he was able to win the TUF season without it, and then the UFC championship belt. Prior to all of this, Whittaker owned the SFA belt and fought the lion's share of the top players of his time, becoming one of the top players in the middle division for years to come.

Strengths

Good takedown defense, amazing speed and footwork, one of the best second-number fighting techniques and endless cardio - Rob is always stable in this. His distance reduction and elusiveness in the cage, kicks to the hip and overall level of defense is a problem for other fighters. Only a few managed to catch such an athlete. But Whittaker's main trump card was and remains composure, with a clear following of instructions from the corner.

Weaknesses

This guy has almost no cons. Only sometimes he "wakes up" blows, as it was in fights with Adesanya and Kannonir. Although Robert is working on his mistakes from camp to camp, and still manages to get better.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Whittaker is 32 years old, and apart from two losses to Israel Adesanya (the rematch was very close), he does not know losses in the middleweight division. Marvin Vettori, the aforementioned Cannonier, Gastelum and Till are the guys he took care of in class. Rob has always been on a different level in terms of speed and fighting mindset, so his readiness to win this Candidates fight is undeniable. Moreover, according to a number of parameters of his future counterpart, he is ahead by a good margin.

Drykus Du Plessis

The fifth number of the middleweight rating comes from kickboxing, where he has not only a second-degree black belt, but also the title of world champion according to WAKO. During the first 4 years in MMA under the banner of the EFC - the South African League, Du Plessis did not travel further than the city of Gauteng, thanks to which he became a double champion in 77 and 84 kg. Also, he managed to conquer the Polish promotion KSW, and then we saw "Knock" in the UFC octagon.

Strengths

Paradoxically, the basic kickboxer also has a decent fight with BJJ in his bosom. Although, let's not get excited - he tested his skills on the ground floor only with frankly low-level opposition or downed pilots, and in the major leagues he himself experienced difficulties in this craft. His main trump card is kickboxing, with abundant use of kicks, pressure and confident work as the first number..

Weaknesses

As Drikus' last fight showed, he doesn't have the best stamina indicators, and after a round of tight fight he is not able to maintain a stable pace, loses speed, and there is no need to talk about defensive qualities at all. Yes, and with the control of positions, the guy has problems, not taking into account the fact that he goes to the real killer in the cage, after a series of meetings with fading near-tops.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Du Plessis, 29, is going into a series of 7 victories looking like a more than confident freshman in the division. However, looking at the track record of the African, some questions arise. He beat Derek Brunson, who plays survival games in almost every fight, Darren Till, who never managed to find the motivation to “come back stronger”, as well as Brad Tavares and Trevin Giles. And where in this list are the opponents that may indicate the readiness of Drikus to fight the champion? If his physical strength and technique make no doubt about it, then cardio, along with his lack of experience against tops, turns the situation upside down.

Comparative analysis

Drykus will have a slight advantage in reach (6 cm) and height (2 cm). But if this gap were larger, all the same, Robert would level it with his movements and mobility. For Du Plessis, it is important to remain the leading link in the attacks, and for Whittaker, acting from the enemy is almost an ideal alignment for a fight. At the start, both will be kicking a lot, and it is important for the South African to gradually get closer, trying to land the first heavy blows, and with this he is completely fine.

In many ways, he is similar to the same Vettori - moving forward, the desire to crush the enemy, deprive him of space. And everything would be great, but Drykus does not have such a margin of durability and stamina to make the "Reaper" fuss and bump into his blows. Moreover, “Knock” is far from the fastest fighter, so the ex-champion will succeed more and more with each new round. Kicks towards the front, branded 2-3 punches on the rapprochement, leaving the line of attack - we will see the former Rob, whose style is tritely unfavorable to Du Plessis.

Tom needs a more clumsy opponent, ready to stand and exchange blows, otherwise the prospect runs the risk of being torn to pieces. By the 3rd round, it will be more and more difficult for him to hit, so the most sensible decision on his part can only be an emphasis on a knockout in the first 5-7 minutes, since Whittaker's jaw can fail, with a well-placed hit.

Robert Whittaker vs Drykus Du Plessis Prediction

Comparing the beaten opposition and the overall successes of the guys in recent years, a deceptive impression is created that Drikus is almost the weakest opponent of Robert over the past few years. He is not ready to compete with the former champion on the ground, risking losing his powers in the blink of an eye, and is unlikely to maintain the pace set by the Reaper. However, we cannot completely discard the finish in his performance: he skillfully draws up chokes and knockouts. But for this, Du Plessis must reach a different level, but this is hard to believe. Therefore, it is wiser to expect a full distance in this fight, where Whittaker will look all the better after the confrontation equator. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Robert Whittaker to win