Robert Whittaker is aiming at returning to the Octagon this summer.

Whittaker was defeated by Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision in the middleweight main event at UFC 271 on February 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

It was ‘The Reaper’s’ second loss to Adesanya. The first coming at UFC 243, in October 2019, where he lost by knockout in the second round.

Whittaker (24-6 MMA) is looking to get back in the win column and is thinking his potential next fight will come against Marvin Vettori (18-5 MMA). The Italian last fought back in October 2021 against Paulo Costa (13-2 MMA) where he won by unanimous decision.

It should be noted that both Whittaker and Vettori have succumbed to losses against ‘The Last Stylebender’ and both will have to win some fights it they want another shot at Adesanya and the title.

Robert Whittaker in speaking with ‘Submission Radio’ had this to say about a potential fight with Vettori (h/t Sportskeeda):

“I’ll fight someone in the division. I don’t know how many people are left. Probably (Marvin Vettori). Yeah, he would have to be the highest-ranked, next up, I believe. I’m on a little break now and then I’ll get back in the gym, probably look for, like, maybe a July-August sort of return. I think that’ll be good. Because then I can get a third one in at the end of the year. So, I think that’s good timing for me.”

A Whittaker vs Vettori UFC middleweight fight would make sense as they are ranked number two and number three respectively.

Would you like to see a Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori matchup? Who do you think would come out the victor? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!