Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 – history in the making

Following his 5 round shut-out of Marvin Vettori, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (21-1) called out former champ Robert Whittaker (24-5) to a rematch in Auckland, the champ’s home place. The pair met in 2019 in Whittaker’s native Melbourne, where Adesanya won via TKO in round 2. The title unification bout drew a crowd of over 65,000 fans. It marked the largest live crowd the company had ever hosted.

Seeing the commercial success of the first meeting, it seemed like a no-brainer to book the title rematch. Unfortunately, complications with COVID-19 and a layoff from Whittaker pushed the fight back to 2021. Since their meeting at UFC 243, Adesanya has successfully defended his title thrice, against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. Whittaker has also picked up 3 wins since then, claiming decisions over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

Today, we will look at the how the rematch could change MMA in their respective Oceanian regions forever.

Post-COVID crowds will return

As most know, Australia and New Zealand have dealt with the coronavirus pandemic to the point of having capacity crowds back at events. The UFC hasn’t made a trip to the region since February 2020, and now seems like the perfect time to spring back into action. If it happens in Auckland as the champion requested, Eden Park is a no-brainer. The stadium can hold up to 60,000 fans on some occasions. A fight of this magnitude for the region would be an easy sell-out.

Worldwide cult following

There’s no doubt that both Adesanya and Whittaker are both draws in the sport. One look at Twitter proves that they have followings that rival some of the biggest in the sport. With such high stakes, the intensity would only be heightened. Adesanya’s grudge match with Paulo Costa broke 700k PPV buys, so a rematch with Whittaker could easily bring big numbers.

Oceania, unite!

There’s no doubt that Australian and Kiwi fighters are beginning to take the UFC by storm. The likes of City Kickboxing’s Brad Riddell and Dan Hooker have become staples of their division. Fan favourite Tai Tuivasa has consistently drawn in big crowds from Australia to see him compete. The two best of the best from Oceania throwing down for all the marbles on top of a stacked undercard of Oceanian talent would be a sight to see.

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Are you excited for the rematch? Who will walk away with 185lb gold? Make sure to let us know in the comments!