"Biggest Fight in History of Australia" Is Nearly a Coin Flip
Published on August 17th, 2019 2:04 am ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker - which is being billed as the "biggest fight in the history of Australia" - is set to take place on October 5th.
The hype for this one is incredible, as Israel Adesanya is being billed as the future pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Standing in his way will be Robert Whittaker, who is the current Middleweight title holder, while Adesanya is the interim title holder.
Adesanya proved that he more than belongs at the top reaches of the division after outlasting Kelvin Gastelum in one of the best fights in the history of the division.
Whittaker, on the other hand, has been besieged by injury issues and will surely be looking forward to getting back into the Octagon on October 5th, though the pressure on him to win will be massive, as he will be fighting in front of a hometown crowd.
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As mentioned, this fight is currently listed at being close to a coin flip. Let's look at the current betting odds as of this moment, courtesy of Bet365:
Source: Bet365
Time Stamp: August 17th, 2019 1:46 am EST
Odds Subject to Change
Robert Whittaker, 1.72
Israel Adesanya, 2.10
The biggest risk to Whittaker will be his inactivity - when he steps into the Octagon on October 5th, he will have fought just 1 in over two years. Against a young and dynamic fighter like Israel Adesanya, this could prove to be a problem.
Adesanya, on the other hand, will be looking to dazzle Whittaker with his array of striking. Adesanya has stood up well to the pressure so far, though October 5th will be an entirely new level, as he fights in front of a partial Australian crowd.
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A win for Adesanya could set up some very big fights, including a possible "superfight" against Jon "Bones" Jones.
The atmosphere on October 5th will be electric, as UFC 243 will be taking place in the 50,000+ seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. This should be an absolutely wild fight.