Does Whitaker beat DDP in a rematch?

[dipstickjimmy]

Does Whittaker's performance against costa tell us anymore about where he's at, and how he might go against DDP in a rematch?

I personally feel like he's at a point where he could show up and look terrible against whoever he fights next, or he could look great.

Haven't really seen much discussed about whether or not the win over costa has restored his stock, other than to say it was a good fight, which he won convincingly.

Its really hard to say. Seeing how DDP scraped past Sean in a close battle and seeing Rob be able to be dominant against Costa in the first up until that last second head kick landed is hard to decipher. Rob took that head kick and still came back to take the next 2 rounds clearly. Were it not for that kick its a 30-27 easy for Rob and maybe he gets the finish?

Put Rob in against Strickland and I think he does a much better job against him then DDP. I would love to see DDP against Costa to see how he fares as they both seem similar. It will also be interesting to see how DDP fares against Izzy. I hope Izzy was just mind fucked at the time of the Strickland fight DDP faces an Izzy at the same level that Rob faced.

I haven't rewatched DDP vs Rob but I was impressed with DDP and frankly shocked he had the skill.

 

[Skarsgard]

If his chin is really back like it seems to be, yeah. It'll give him the confidence to sit down on his shots a little more and be more willing to stay in the pocket.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

As much as I am a Whittaker fan, the best thing for the sport would be Strickland beating Whittaker, as Strickland vs the DDP/Adesanya winner is interesting no matter who claims the title.

This is IMO 100% why the UFC will not match up Whittaker vs Sean. I suspect if they were going to actually go to Africa for DDPs first defense (A big IF) then they would book DDP vs IZZY but keep Sean as a back up in case either man falls out. Sean fights the winner next.

I think if Rob wants to get to the title he will have to face Khamzat as it gives the UFC the chance to show Khamzat can beat a championship level MW. I could also see the UFC booking Usman in Africa against Whittaker as it would be a sure fire FOTN candidate.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

I don't think so. DDP is better in the clinch and in grappling and he's really hard to predict due to the constant pressure and stance switching and takedowns. I think Whittaker's blitzing style wouldn't work again and at some point he gets hurt and finished again.

 

[Iroh]

Hard to say who I'd favor, but I would definitely watch it again!

Bobby would definitely need to change up his approach a bit. Last game plan didn't work all too well. Lol

 

[USA!USA!]

Hard to say either way.

Rob is good enough to make adjustments.. but so is Dricus.

 

[fizzlehiss]

Costa didn't fight like DDP. Costa has a low output and doesnt push the fight, so it's historically a good matchup for Whittaker. DDP on other hand constantly pushes forward and didnt get punished by blitzes since he covers up well.

 

[west42]

Whittier is declining, ddp is ........inclining I guess

 

[BangBang]

Could do quite easily if the real Whittaker turns up. He was outmanned to an embarrassing extent. He will fight hard in a rematch

 

[nonoob]

I think if Rob wants to get to the title he will have to face Khamzat

​

 

[Question]

I'd say no, DDP's style clearly caused Rob a lot of trouble.
Rob's also up there in age and mileage, I don't see him being able to reinvent or adjust his style enough at this age to fight effectively enough to beat DDP.

We'll see tho I guess, I think Rob's already got a tough fight in Sean to worry about at the moment if that's next. If he wins and looks good there then I might change my opinion.

 

[Dirty Frank]

Du Plessis is a tank. Rob can certainly make adjustments but it's a tall order. Rob has a tendency to be extra cautious to the point of being timid after every KO loss so I think the MW champ may just have his number at this point.

 

[NoSmilez]

It’s the matchup. DDP shut down the blitz with the stance switches. It confused Rob to the point where he would stop mid combo.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

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Based on what the UFC wants not meritocracy. I could see the UFC wanting Khamzat to fight Bobby in order to push him to a title shot. The trio of DDP, Sean & Izzy might have the MW title picture tied up for a little bit.

 

[usernamee]

Whittier is declining, ddp is ........inclining I guess

I'm inclining right now if you know what I mean

 

[Fire Belly]

Rob's problem is he gets caught lunging in, especially when he doesn't respect his opponent. It's a recipe for disaster for a fighter who's getting on in years. Having said that, if DDP fights like he did against Sean, I reckon Rob could pick him apart if he's a bit smarter.

 

[TheFlamingFist]

Costa was robbed that fight

 

[nonoob]

I could see the UFC wanting Khamzat to fight Bobby in order to push him to a title shot.

Sure, a ufc push with nothing to gain for Bobby.

Fully skipping an entire division of deserving fighters to give a free title shot is...Jones/Dana-scamming-like.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Sure, a ufc push with nothing to gain for Bobby.

Fully skipping an entire division of deserving fighters to give a free title shot is...Jones/Dana-scamming-like.

If Bobby beats him he has a win over the guy Dana and the UFC push "Casuals" to believe is a killer. Khamzat is very good but IMO he should be a WW. He is actually one of the fighters who would benefit most from realigning the weight classes adding 165 and moving WW to 175.

 

[nonoob]

If Bobby beats him he has a win over the guy Dana and the UFC push "Casuals" to believe is a killer. Khamzat is very good but IMO he should be a WW. He is actually one of the fighters who would benefit most from realigning the weight classes adding 165 and moving WW to 175.

Is Khamzat fighting in Either of those classes?

Let him put up or shut up. This IS NOT Twitter.​