Robert Whittaker thinks middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is the safe pick against Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will look to notch his sixth title defense when he meets Pereira in Saturday’s main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Based off their kickboxing history, Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has the edge on paper with two wins over Adesanya. However, having lost to Adesanya twice in title fights, Whittaker thinks “The Stylebender” is the more defensively sound fighter.

“(It’s) really hard to say because I think this is a 50-50 fight,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “But if I was betting my house, I would have to say Israel because in a fight like this, the defensive fighter is definitely the safer play. And what Adesanya does well – defensive striking, using his range, reach and height to it’s best advantage – he does it so well. Not only that, it’s super effective against everyone. So he hasn’t needed to change things up. It works on everyone.

“As I said, Adesanya is the safer bet. He’s a defensive striker and also the champ. If it’s a closer decision, it usually leans toward the champ.”

Ex-champ Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) will look to get another crack at gold when he takes on Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, in February. Adesanya told Fox Sports Australia he’d be open to a trilogy with Whittaker, but he has to “generate f*cking interest” and get their bout to generate “millions and millions of dollars.”

If Whittaker gets past Costa, he will have beaten another former title challenger, which he thinks is enough.

“Well, what more does he want me to do?” Whittaker said. “Hit him with my car? Any fight between us, people are going to watch. It’s going to be so high level that everyone tunes in.

“He’s already earning millions – gets paid more than everyone else. So I don’t know. … When it comes to us fighting, I can’t do much more than I’ve already done.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.