Robert Whitaker and Dricos du Plessis will fight each other Saturday night at UFC 290 in a major middleweight bout.
While Whitaker is a former champion and middleweight contender with Alex Pereira coming in at the ultra-lightweight division, Du Plessis is the one winning the fight.
If Du Plessis were to win the fight, then the next in line would be champion Israel Adesanya, who was calling the fight with Du Plessis.
Before the match we will break down the fight with a preview and prediction which can also be seen in video above.
Separation
If Adesanya wasn’t around, Whitaker would still be the champ because only two losses at 185 pounds have come to the reigning champ.
Whitaker is a solid, well-rounded fighter who moves and strikes smoothly while changing levels and timing perfect takedowns.
Du Plessis, on the other hand, will step forward and throw heavy straight shots with bad intentions. When he takes you down, he will land on heavy ground and pound.
To date, Du Plessis is 19-2 as a professional fighter and is undefeated in the UFC.
Tale from the tape
All roads lead here to Du Plessis. It is smaller, taller and taller.
Whitaker is usually a smaller middleweight, so he’s used to being in that spot.
Oddsmakers
They love Whitaker.
DraktKings, FanDuel, Sports Betting, Bet MGM and Unibet weighed Whittaker’s team between -375 and -400.
prediction
Du Plessis’ strength and heavy ground and pound give him the opportunity to take down anyone, and if he wins this fight, I wouldn’t be surprised, especially if he gets a TKO.
The biggest factor in this fight is the Whittakers movement. He wouldn’t be there to hit du Plessis with a big punch. If Du Plessis got ahead of him, he’d probably eat a few shots just to get one.
The combat angle in this fight is interesting as both can bring the fight to the ground.
I like Whitaker’s move and he’s the safer bet.
Whitaker wins by decision.