The Bottom Line: A Perfect Match

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Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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As UFC 243 approaches on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, there is clearly plenty of interest from Oceania. Robert Whittaker-Israel Adesanya to unify the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title is the biggest MMA fight in the history of that region, and it will take place in front of the biggest crowd of the year for combat sports. However, it feels like the event is being slept on outside the area where both fighters reside.

Much of the UFC discussion of late has been about the Madison Square Garden main event pitting Jorge Masvidal against Nate Diaz. UFC 245 the month after will feature three title fights. Coming on the heels of UFC 241 (Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic) and UFC 242 (Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier), it’s possible that Whittaker-Adesanya has the least general interest of the five shows. That’s a shame, given that for my money Whittaker-Adesanya is the best fight of the calendar year.

One of the best stories in sports is the rising phenom taking on the battle-tested champion. Sometimes, like in the case of Jens Pulver-B.J. Penn or Matt Hughes-Georges St. Pierre 1, the great champion manages to hold off the less experienced future kingpin. Other times, like in the cases of Tyron Woodley against Stephen Thompson and Darren Till, the champion stops the momentum of the rising star and in the process sets back his progression through the sport in a major way. Then there are the times, like with Mauricio Rua-Jon Jones or Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey, where the young star takes the crown and dominates for an extended period.

This is precisely the dynamic with Adesanya. His 17-0 record suggests a fighter who could become a difference maker as an attraction. He has a big personality and a captivating fighting style. He showed real toughness and mettle in his most recent fight with Kelvin Gastelum, as well. It’s time to see how he does against the very best competition, and Whittaker certainly fits the bill. Unbeaten at middleweight and having gotten by Yoel Romero twice in a pair of classics, Whittaker is at the top of his game. It’s a perfect test for both men. It’s a pick’em fight according to the oddsmakers for good reason.

With some fights between high-end fighters, it’s easy to imagine both fighters ending up in basically the same place, win or lose. The victory or defeat matters for their legacy, but they will continue to be promoted in major fights either way and are only a couple wins away from another title shot. That isn’t the case with Whittaker and Adesanya. Both fighters are on the verge of that type of status, but they haven’t attained it yet. This is a fight that makes a great deal of difference.

A loss by Adesanya, particularly a bad one, could very easily create the widespread perception that he isn’t as effective as he is flashy. It’s easy for fighters with that profile to get lost in the shuffle. If he can instead become undisputed middleweight champion, it’s an accolade he’ll always carry with him. On the other side, many felt Romero deserved one or both decisions against Whittaker. Fans tend to forget close decisions if a champion keeps winning. The title reign becomes the focus. Close decisions loom larger for short-term champions.

As far as other fights that might be labeled the best matchup of the year, Jon Jones’ fights are always important events, but Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos weren’t perceived to be the strongest of challengers, even if Santos gave Jones a solid challenge. Cormier-Miocic was a compelling rematch between the two top heavyweights, but there were lingering questions about where both fighters stood, with Miocic taking a long layoff after a defeat and Cormier turning 40 and openly talking about leaving the sport.

Nurmagomedov is one of the sport’s best fighters and his bout with Poirier was a terrific one on paper, but it wasn’t going to clear up the division while Tony Ferguson still waited in the wings. Kamaru Usman-Colby Covington is very similar to Whittaker-Adesanya as a fight, but there’s an ugliness to the way the fight is likely to be promoted and it’s also not likely to produce as much excitement. T.J. Dillashaw-Henry Cejudo was another great fight between champions at two different weight classes, but at the time, Cejudo was coming off a split decision win over Demetrious Johnson and didn’t yet have the stature that he has gained with his wins over Dillashaw and Marlon Moraes.

As Cejudo demonstrates, fights can grow to feel more important after they take place and they can also feel less significant with time. It remains to be seen whether Whittaker-Adesanya will end up being the defining fight of 2019 when we look back in a few years. Going in, it feels just about perfect, the sort of fight that we follow MMA to see.

Todd Martin has written about mixed martial arts since 2002 for a variety of outlets, including CBSSports.com, SI.com, ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, MMApayout.com, Fight Magazine and Fighting Spirit Magazine. He has appeared on a number of radio stations, including ESPN affiliates in New York and Washington, D.C., and HDNet’s “Inside MMA” television show. In addition to his work at Sherdog.com, he does a weekly podcast with Wade Keller at PWTorch.com and blogs regularly at LaTimes.com. Todd received his BA from Vassar College in 2003 and JD from UCLA School of Law in 2007 and is a licensed attorney. He has covered UFC, Pride, Bellator, Affliction, IFL, WFA, Strikeforce, WEC and K-1 live events. He believes deeply in the power of MMA to heal the world and bring happiness to all of its people.