Preview: Whittaker vs. Vettori
Robert Whittaker has drifted into a state of limbo in an Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division he once ruled.
The former 185-pound champion will do battle with Marvin Vettori in the UFC Fight Night 209 co-headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, where the risks appear to outweigh the potential rewards for both men. Whittaker has posted 12 victories across his past 14 outings. However, he finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya in a UFC 271 rematch that saw him fail to reclaim the middleweight crown on Feb. 12. Vettori, meanwhile, has won six of his last seven bouts. The Kings MMA rep has not competed since he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Paulo Costa in the UFC Fight Night 196 main event on Oct. 23.
As Whittaker and Vettori inch ever closer to their confrontation in France, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
31: Years of age for Whittaker, who was born on Dec. 20, 1990 in Otahuhu, Australia.
9: Whittaker wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 39% of his career total (23). His list of UFC victims: Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Clint Hester and Colton Smith. Whittaker owns five other wins by submission (22%) and nine more by decision (39%).
44: Seconds needed for Whittaker to punch out Tavares at UFC Fight Night 65 on May 10, 2015. More than seven years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
59: Rounds completed by Whittaker as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 9-3 record in those bouts.
93: Combined victories between the five men—Adesanya (twice), Stephen Thompson, Court McGee, Jesse Juarez and Hoon Kim—who have defeated Whittaker. They sport a .669 cumulative winning percentage at 93-43-3.
28: Years of age for Vettori, who was born in Trento, Italy, on Sept. 20, 1993.
9: Vettori victories by submission, accounting for 50% of his career total (18). His methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes, three guillotine chokes, one triangle choke and one toe hold. Vettori holds two other victories by knockout or technical knockout (11%) and seven more by decision (39%).
11: First-round finishes on the Vettori resume, with two of them having unfolded inside the Octagon. He took care of Alberto Emiliano Pereira with a guillotine choke in 4:30 at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, 2016 and put away Karl Roberson with a rear-naked choke in 4:17 at UFC on ESPN 10 in June 2020.
6: Promotions in which Vettori has plied his mixed martial arts trade. He has gone 8-3-1 in the UFC, 5-0 in Venator Fighting Championship, 2-1 in Ultimate Challenge MMA, 2-0 in Impera Fighting Championship, 1-0 in Only Men Stuff and 0-1 in New Generation Tournament.
.842: Cumulative winning percentage between the four men—Adesanya (twice), Antonio Carlos Jr., Bill Beaumont and Alessandro Grandis—who have beaten Vettori. They boast a combined record of 48-8-1.
Robert Whittaker has drifted into a state of limbo in an Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division he once ruled.
The former 185-pound champion will do battle with Marvin Vettori in the UFC Fight Night 209 co-headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, where the risks appear to outweigh the potential rewards for both men. Whittaker has posted 12 victories across his past 14 outings. However, he finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya in a UFC 271 rematch that saw him fail to reclaim the middleweight crown on Feb. 12. Vettori, meanwhile, has won six of his last seven bouts. The Kings MMA rep has not competed since he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Paulo Costa in the UFC Fight Night 196 main event on Oct. 23.
As Whittaker and Vettori inch ever closer to their confrontation in France, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
31: Years of age for Whittaker, who was born on Dec. 20, 1990 in Otahuhu, Australia.
9: Whittaker wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 39% of his career total (23). His list of UFC victims: Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Clint Hester and Colton Smith. Whittaker owns five other wins by submission (22%) and nine more by decision (39%).
44: Seconds needed for Whittaker to punch out Tavares at UFC Fight Night 65 on May 10, 2015. More than seven years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
59: Rounds completed by Whittaker as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 9-3 record in those bouts.
93: Combined victories between the five men—Adesanya (twice), Stephen Thompson, Court McGee, Jesse Juarez and Hoon Kim—who have defeated Whittaker. They sport a .669 cumulative winning percentage at 93-43-3.
28: Years of age for Vettori, who was born in Trento, Italy, on Sept. 20, 1993.
9: Vettori victories by submission, accounting for 50% of his career total (18). His methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes, three guillotine chokes, one triangle choke and one toe hold. Vettori holds two other victories by knockout or technical knockout (11%) and seven more by decision (39%).
11: First-round finishes on the Vettori resume, with two of them having unfolded inside the Octagon. He took care of Alberto Emiliano Pereira with a guillotine choke in 4:30 at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, 2016 and put away Karl Roberson with a rear-naked choke in 4:17 at UFC on ESPN 10 in June 2020.
6: Promotions in which Vettori has plied his mixed martial arts trade. He has gone 8-3-1 in the UFC, 5-0 in Venator Fighting Championship, 2-1 in Ultimate Challenge MMA, 2-0 in Impera Fighting Championship, 1-0 in Only Men Stuff and 0-1 in New Generation Tournament.
.842: Cumulative winning percentage between the four men—Adesanya (twice), Antonio Carlos Jr., Bill Beaumont and Alessandro Grandis—who have beaten Vettori. They boast a combined record of 48-8-1.
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