Israel Adesanya, the former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, recently shared heartwarming words for his former opponent, Robert Whittaker. Whittaker, who has faced Adesanya twice in the octagon, recently returned to the win column with impressive performances.
In their first meeting at UFC 243, Adesanya emerged victorious, defeating Whittaker by TKO in the second round. However, in their title fight rematch at UFC 271, Whittaker aimed to exact revenge but lost by unanimous decision.
Whittaker’s start to this year has been remarkable. He knocked out Ikram Aliskerov in the first round of the main event at UFC Saudi Arabia and secured a unanimous decision victory against Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February.
Israel Adesanya Congratulates Robert Whittaker For His Recent Victory
During a recent appearance on the Today Show Australia, Adesanya reflected on his iconic UFC 243 walkout in Melbourne and congratulated Whittaker on his recent victory. Adesanya said, “I was fighting the local hero, Rob Whittaker, who just actually had a great win a week or two weeks ago. But I was fighting him here and defending my belt for the first time on enemy territory. I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to make it a show.’ And I did.”
Israel Adesanya continued, “It [Whittaker’s knockout of Aliskerov] was beautiful. Robbie’s that guy. We fought twice. We always have history, but it was good to see him back in the win column, and he’s coming for me, so I’ve got to stay ready.”
Israel Adesanya is set to return to the octagon at UFC 305 on August 17, where he will face reigning champion Dricus du Plessis. Whittaker, on the other hand, predicts that du Plessis’ aggressive fighting style could pose a serious threat to Adesanya in their upcoming clash.
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