Israel Adesanya seems more than ready for Robert Whittaker and claims he already has moves planned in the fight to earn the win.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is expected to face #1-ranked middleweight contender Whittaker for his fourth title defence. Since joining the UFC, “The Last Stylebender” has become one of the most revered fighters in MMA after winning the belt and defending it three times already.
Despite achieving great success and money, there is certainly no lack of motivation for Adesanya at this stage of his career. Rather, the Nigerian-born fighter claimed that he was determined to improve his skills everyday and that his passion for the sport has not waned in any way shape or form, citing a quote from the late, great Marvin Hagler.
“A quote I’ve been revisiting the last few months ‘when you sleep in silk sheets it’s hard to get up in the morning’,” Adesanya told Mike Hosking of Newstalk ZB. “For me a lot of people in my position right now wouldn’t show up again until they have their next fight locked up. But I’m showing up to upgrade my skills and help my teammates who will help me over the years. What keeps me going? It’s the passion. It’s the thirst for knowledge. I’m not done.”
The 32-year-old stated that he hasn’t hit the ceiling to how much he can evolve as a fighter. Furthermore, when it comes to his next title challenger Robert Whittaker, Adesanya stated that he has multiple moves ready that would confuse the Australian when it’s time to fight.
“I haven’t hit the limit yet,” said Adesanya. “It’s endless. These people don’t understand what’s coming. Against Robert, the first three moves I make on the chessboard in our next fight, our rematch, he’s going to second-guess himself. He’s going to third-guess himself.”
This will be the second time the men have faced off from each other. In their first encounter back in 2019, Whittaker was the champion defending his belt. Adesanya won by an impressive second round TKO to become the new UFC champion, thus kick-starting his reign.
Adesanya was last seen in action at UFC 263 back in June where he coasted to a unanimous decision win against Marvin Vettori to record his third title defence after defending against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa prior. Adesanya’s only loss came against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz back in March in his attempt to become a two-weight world champion.
For Whittaker, since the loss, the 30-year-old has only gone on to become a more formidable fighter, racking up wins against the likes of Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum to establish himself as the clear title challenger for Adesanya’s belt.
Who do you see winning in the rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker?
