Robert Whittaker thinks he’s close to getting another crack at Israel Adesanya.

Whittaker and Adesanya first met at UFC 243 when ‘The Reaper’ was the middleweight champ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ was the interim champ. It was Adesanya winning the fight by a convincing second-round KO. The pair would have their rematch at UFC 271 earlier this year and although Adesanya won again, it was by decision and a very close fight, so Whittaker believes if he defeated Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris in September he could earn him another title shot.

“I definitely think a trilogy is possible primarily because of the Holloway-Volkanovski trilogy fight going ahead,” Whittaker said to Fox Sports Australia. “Especially considering how close my fight was with Izzy last time, I definitely think that is a very real possibility.”

In order to get the third fight against Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker will need to beat Vettori in September which is easier said than done. The Italian hasn’t been an easy out for anyone but Whittaker has confidence in his skills.

“I think I’m going to be too much for him, honestly,” Whittaker said. I feel a lot better than he is across the board. Granted, he’s very tough, but I’ve fought tough people before and dismantled them. The best Rob Whittaker beats anybody. I’m going to just hit him a lot and just hurt him … he won’t be able to keep the tempo up, he’s not going to be able to handle it.”

Even though Whittaker is confident he will defeat Vettori it’s still uncertain if the UFC would book the trilogy match. Adesanya still needs to get past Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2. After that, the winner of Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira seems to be next but perhaps if Whittaker has a statement win over Vettori he could get that third crack at Adesanya.

Would you like to see Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya 3?