Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis – Preview and Prediction
Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis will fight one another on Saturday night at UFC 290 in a big time middleweight matchup.
While Whittaker is a former champion and the top ranked middleweight contender with Alex Pereira moving up too light heavyweight, Du Plessis has the most to gain in the fight.
If Du Plessis is to win the fight, he will be next in line for champion Israel Adesanya, who has been calling for a fight with Du Plessis.
Ahead of the bout, we’ll breakdown the fight with a preview and prediction that can also be seen in the video above.
Breakdown
If Adesanya didn’t exist, then Whittaker would still be the champion as his only two losses at 185 pounds have coming to the reigning champ.
Whittaker 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 come forward and throw heavy straight shots with bad intentions. When he takes you down he will land heavy ground and pound.
So far, Du Plessis is 19-2 as a professional fighter and he is unbeaten in the UFC.
Tale of the Tape
All roads lead to Du Plessis here. He’s younger, taller and longer.
Whittaker is usually a smaller middleweight, so he’s used to being in this spot.
Oddsmakers
They love Whittaker.
DraktKings, FanDuel, Sports Betting, Bet MGM and Unibet have heavy on team Whittaker has they have him between -375 and -400.
Prediction
Du Plessis power and heavy ground and pound gives him the opportunity to beat anyone and if he won this fight I wouldn’t be surprised, especially if he gets a TKO.
The big factor in this fight is Whittakers movement. He will not be there for Du Plessis to just whack with a big punch. If Du Plessis comes forward at him, he will likely have to eat a few shots just to get one off.
The grappling angle of this fight is interesting as both can get the fight to the ground.
I like Whittaker’s movement and he’s the safer bet.
Whittaker wins by decision.
