UFC 243 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds, Predictions for Whittaker vs. Adesanya
It doesn't get much better than the UFC 243 main event. When Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya take to the cage in Melbourne, Australia, for the middleweight title Saturday, they are all but guaranteed to bring fireworks.
For Whittaker, it's an opportunity to finally kickstart his middleweight championship reign. Although he won the title in July 2017, he still has yet to officially defend the belt. His first defense became a non-title fight when opponent Yoel Romero failed to make weight.
Then there was the nixed bout with Kelvin Gastelum in February. Whittaker was forced off the card because of emergency abdomen surgery, and the interim title fight between Gastelum and Adesanya in April was born.
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The Last Stylebender's ascent sets up for a blockbuster first title defense for Whittaker. The challenger's appeal as an undefeated flashy striker with plenty of personality to boot has his him on the road to stardom, but he could be the perfect opponent to remind fans that Whittaker's title win made him the "next big thing" before Adesanya.
The rest of the card has a heavy Australian presence, literally in the case of heavyweight Tai Tuivasa.
Main Card (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Robert Whittaker (c) (-105; bet $105 to win $100) vs. Israel Adesanya (interim) (-125) for the middleweight championship
- Dan Hooker (-175) vs. Al Iaquinta (+145)
- Sergey Spivak (+320) vs. Tai Tuivasa (-410)
- Luke Jumeau (+120) vs. Dhiego Lima (-150)
- Yorgan De Castro (+105) vs. Justin Tafa (-135)
Preliminary Card (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET)
- Rostem Akman (+280) vs. Jake Matthews (-340)
- Maki Pitolo (-350) vs. Callan Potter (+275)
- Jamie Mullarkey (+120) vs. Brad Riddell (-150)
- Megan Anderson (-550) vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos (+375)
Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
- Nadia Kassem (+170) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (-200)
- Bruno Silva (+190) vs. Khalid Taha (-240)
Odds via Caesars.
Can Whittaker Come Back Better than Ever?
Whittaker has been one of the most unlucky champions in UFC history. Since moving to the middleweight division in 2014, he's 8-0, with wins over Yoel Romero (twice) and Jacare Souza after dominant victories over the Uriah Halls and Derek Brunsons of the world.
Whittaker was just starting to hit his stride and prove his place among the elite in the sport before the abdomen injury.
Now, he'll be making his return to the Octagon after more than a year away.
Adesanya is in a similar spot to where Whittaker was when he won the title. The Last Stylebender has passed every test thrown his way, but the competition has been questionable.
Gastelum is small for the division; Anderson Silva is more than past his prime. He even has a first-round win over Brunson, just like Whittaker.
It's two young, elite fighters at the top of their games, and the champion will have his hands full proving that he's still deserving of the belt around his waist.
Given his proven track record against slightly better competition and the ease in which Gastelum was able to negate Adesanya's length, Whittaker is the pick here. As long as he's still the fighter he was when he won the title, Adesanya might not be quite ready for what Whittaker brings to the table.
Prediction: Whittaker via decision
Is Dan Hooker Ready for Title Contention?
There's a lot on the line for Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 243. Despite being on the UFC roster for over five years, he's never been a co-headliner on a pay-per-view card. Now he's not only in that spot, the New Zealander is fighting relatively close to home and against a former title challenger.
It's a big step up in competition and spotlight for Hooker. The last time he was on a pay-per-view card, he was fighting Gilbert Burns on Fight Pass.
That ended well for him, though. He knocked out Burns in the first round—one of three first-round knockouts in his last four fights.
Al Iaquinta is a much better fighter than the ones Hooker has knocked out recently, though. His last three bouts have come against current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former title challengers Kevin Lee and Donald Cerrone.
Ragin' Al was more competitive with Nurmagomedov than anyone could have thought, beat Kevin Lee and turned in a Fight of the Night performance against Cerrone in defeat.
This should be a brawl. Both fighters love to strike and score points on the feet. The X-factor could be Iaquinta's wrestling, though. He's an underrated grappler and should be looking to close the distance against the rangier Hooker.
If Iaquinta can secure a few surprise takedowns, it could give him the edge on the scorecards to spoil Hooker's night.
Prediction: Iaquinta via decision
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