Robert Whittaker has been at the top of the middleweight division for such a long time that there are relatively few new challenges for him.
The same can be said for one of the great career rivals of "The Reaper" who is set to face a new hurdle when he returns on February 1.
In the main event of the UFC's return to Saudi Arabia, the former two-time champion Israel Adesanya will return to take on Nassourdine Imavov.
Unlike Whittaker and Adesanya, Imavov has only recently come into his own as a top contender at 185-pounds following his recent wins over Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen.
This is reflected in the betting odds where despite "The Last Stylebender" coming into this fight off of back-to-back losses, he's the favourite.
Imavov is yet to face someone of the calibre of Adesanya but he might find himself in the right place at the right time to add one of the division's all-time greats to his winning streak.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Whittaker weighed in with his thoughts on the match-up having watched Imavov closely and having fought Adesanya twice in the past.
He believes that Imavov may be able to follow a blueprint that was laid out by Adesanya's latest opponent:
“I’d have to lean into Izzy being the the favorite,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Like he’s so good at what he does, but Imavov’s a bit of a dog. He can go the distance. His striking is good. I can see him pushing the pace, pushing the pressure to try to make Adesanya make errors much like how Dricus (Du Plessis) fought him. I can’t say better standup because Dricus’ standup is just a different type of standup, a different approach.
“Is Imavov as tanky as Dricus? Because I think Dricus made like a really good blueprint on how to beat Adesanya, make him uncomfortable and go at him. Make him stress, don’t give him space to play. I think Imavov’s got the skillset to do that, but I’d still lean on Izzy being the favorite. He can fight that counter style so well and if you don’t fall into his baits, into his traps, he’ll pick you apart.”
Whittaker still believes that despite the dangers that Imavov can present, Adesanya holds a slight edge in his return to the Octagon.
“Izzy looked so good against Dricus until he didn’t,” Whittaker said. “I don’t know, I think that Izzy beats Imavov.”
