KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Robert Whittaker made sure a pivotal fight with Ronaldo Souza wasn’t a grappling match.
Whittaker (18-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) shut down Souza’s
(23-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takedowns and then punished him with fast hands and feet, twice dropping the Brazilian before a second-round finish.
The middleweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC on FOX 24 event at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. It aired on FOX following prelims on FOX and UFC Fight Pass.Referee Mario Yamasaki moved in to save a bloodied Souza as he tried to roll to his knees, the result of a fearsome head kick that sent him to the canvas for the second time in the fight’s middle frame. The stoppage came at the 3:28 mark of the round.
It was a huge upset for Whittaker, who came into the bout as a 2-1 underdog against Souza, a possible title contender. In the weeks leading up to the bout, the stakes of the bout were raised by Souza’s potential free agency, with Saturday’s fight marking the last bout on his current contract. The possibility of defection was averted when he signed a new eight-fight deal.
“I think a lot of people let the hype get in their heads given he’s a legend of jiu jitsu and MMA,” Whittaker said. “I have great coaches, and I train to fight. I know that it’s a fight at the end of the day. It’s not a grappling match, it’s not a jiu jitsu match; all I have to do is get back up and punch him.
“I think (Michael) Bisping owes me a fight. All the best to him, doing his own thing, but here’s the thing: He owes me a fight, and I just proved that I’m deserving of it.”
Souza didn’t appear overly desperate to get the win in the octagon against Whittaker. But it was clear he wanted to get the fight to the mat, where his opponent was no match. The only problem was that Whittaker wasn’t an easy mark for a takedown, and even when he dragged the fight to the mat, Whittaker simply rolled through and got back to his feet.
Whittaker (18-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) shut down Souza’s
The middleweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC on FOX 24 event at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. It aired on FOX following prelims on FOX and UFC Fight Pass.Referee Mario Yamasaki moved in to save a bloodied Souza as he tried to roll to his knees, the result of a fearsome head kick that sent him to the canvas for the second time in the fight’s middle frame. The stoppage came at the 3:28 mark of the round.
It was a huge upset for Whittaker, who came into the bout as a 2-1 underdog against Souza, a possible title contender. In the weeks leading up to the bout, the stakes of the bout were raised by Souza’s potential free agency, with Saturday’s fight marking the last bout on his current contract. The possibility of defection was averted when he signed a new eight-fight deal.
“I think a lot of people let the hype get in their heads given he’s a legend of jiu jitsu and MMA,” Whittaker said. “I have great coaches, and I train to fight. I know that it’s a fight at the end of the day. It’s not a grappling match, it’s not a jiu jitsu match; all I have to do is get back up and punch him.
“I think (Michael) Bisping owes me a fight. All the best to him, doing his own thing, but here’s the thing: He owes me a fight, and I just proved that I’m deserving of it.”
Souza didn’t appear overly desperate to get the win in the octagon against Whittaker. But it was clear he wanted to get the fight to the mat, where his opponent was no match. The only problem was that Whittaker wasn’t an easy mark for a takedown, and even when he dragged the fight to the mat, Whittaker simply rolled through and got back to his feet.
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