Robert Whittaker is looking out for Israel Adesanya by warning him of Nassourdine Imavov’s potential game plan at UFC Fight Night 250.
Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) takes on Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in Saturday’s middleweight main event (ESPN+) at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Whittaker is picking Adesanya to win but only if he’s able to fend off Imavov’s grappling.
“Imavov’s grappling is very good,” Whittaker said on the “MMArcade Podcast.” “He gets the back of just about every opponent he fights. That’s kind of where the fight wins for him. He doesn’t beat Izzy in a five-round striking contest. He takes him down, tries to get his back, he gets his back, and then whether or not Izzy defends that position and gets out of it. Obviously the idea with Adesanya moving into the fight is going to be to not give up the back at all costs.
“Granted it’s such a clear-cut direction for Imavov to try to achieve, because like I said, just about every fight he’s had, he gets the back, gets that body triangle and just really works it. I think that’s pretty much the fight we’re going to see. We’re going to see Adesanya trying to keep his space, piece him up, and Imavov trying to bully him up against the fence, close distance, take him down and get his back.”
Adesanya will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after back-to-back title losses to Sean Strickland and UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya was taken down four times en route to a Round 4 submission loss against Du Plessis at UFC 305 this past August.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.
