Kelvin Gastelum says Robert Whittaker has “real chance at regaining that middleweight title” from Israel Adesanya

UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum says Robert Whittaker has a “real chance at regaining that middleweight title” from champ Israel Adesanya.

Gastelum has fought both Whittaker and Adesanya so he knows exactly what both men bring to the table. In the wake of Adesanya’s win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, which improved his record as a UFC middleweight to a perfect 10-0, the next fight to make for the 185lbs title seems to be Adesanya against Whittaker. And if you ask Gastelum what he thinks about that potential title fight, he thinks there’s a good chance the champ loses.

Speaking to reporters at UFC 263, Gastelum admitted that after Whittaker beat him up for five rounds back in April, he thinks “Bobby Knuckles” has a real chance to beat Adesanya.

“Rob impressed me a lot in that fight against myself. Yeah, if he fights the way that he did against myself, he will have a real chance at regaining that middleweight title,” Gastelum said.

Since Whittaker lost his belt to Adesanya in October 2019, he has won his last three fights in a row against Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Gastelum to re-emerge as the No. 1 contender in the UFC middleweight division. The fight against Gastelum, in particular, was such a good showing for Whittaker as it proved he’s a well-rounded mixed martial artist who is good everywhere the fight goes.

It will be interesting to see what the rematch between Adesanya and Whittaker will play out like given that the first fight was a pretty one-sided victory for “The Last Stylebender.” After seeing the way Whittaker tore through Gastelum in his last fight, it seems like the rematch between Whittaker and Adesanya will be much more competitive this time around.

Do you agree with Kelvin Gastelum that Robert Whittaker can beat Israel Adesanya in the rematch?