UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had a talk with Robert Whittaker after their fight at UFC 271 and he said that he respects Robert Whittaker but doesn’t like him. At UFC 271, Israel Adesanya fought Robert Whittaker in a UFC middleweight championship rematch. The pair fought previously at UFC 243 where Israel defeated Whittaker via KO to win the middleweight championship. Now the pair fought at UFC 271, where Israel defended his title against Robert via decision. After the fight, the pair shared a nice moment where they had a small talk in the octagon. Israel later revealed what conversation he had with Robert after the fight.
After UFC 271 was concluded, Israel Adesanya revealed what was said during his post-fight chat with Robert Whittaker (via Aaron Bronsteter).
Adesanya after the fight told Whittaker that he doesn't like him, but he respects him.
Whittaker told him that they'd be friends in a different life.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 13, 2022
“Adesanya after the fight told Whittaker that he doesn’t like him, but he respects him.
“Whittaker told him that they’d be friends in a different life.”
Israel Adesanya says he wants to fight a new challenger
Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision as he got 48–47, 48–47, and 49–46 on the three judges’ scorecards. After the fight, Israel said that it was a good chess match with Robert.
“7-out-of-10,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “Not bad. A good night in the office. A good chess match.”
“It’s easier said than done,” Adesanya said. “It’s easier said than done if you’ve already been in there with him before. I feel like people have goldfish memories. When they get in there with me, they realize, ‘Oh sh*t. It’s not as easy as we thought.’ Yeah, they just have to revert back to what they know. … We’re just two guys trying to be the best in the world, but tonight, I’m the best in the world.”
“I was excited to see (Cannonier vs. Brunson) and see how it was going to play out,” White told MMA Junkie after the event. “It was an awesome fight. And yeah, I’m not going to say, ‘no,’ to Cannonier.”
“The division is filled with killers, but I’m looking forward to fresh meat,” Adesanya said. … (I didn’t see his fight in) close detail. I just saw bits and pieces. I think he even got rocked. I saw he got taken down. Then, he elbowed Brunson. I didn’t take stock. I’ll go back and watch the fights later and see what it is. He made a statement. I even told him after the weigh-in, not the ceremonial one, I said, ‘Please, take this guy out so I can get some fresh meat. He said, ‘Bro, I’m trying to work.’ I said, ‘Me, too.’ So I’m a man of my word.”
Robert Whittaker says a third fight with Adesanya is Inevitable
“I thought I did enough, I thought I did enough,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie at the post-fight press conference. “Breaking it down, I think I lost the first round. I put myself together and I beat him to every punch. I got takedowns. I thought I did enough.
“But it is what it is. That’s how work goes in the office. I’m going to go back evolve some more, get better, fine-tune the things that I’ve been working on, and come back a better man. Honestly, though, Izzy was my biggest obstacle, my biggest hurdle. He beat me in a good fashion the first time. I’ve been working and angling myself to evolve and to get better and I’ve done that. You can see it in this fight how far I’ve come. To the point that I think I beat him.”
“So, I’m excited. I’m excited for the future. The ceiling is nowhere in sight. There is no ceiling for me.”
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Israel Adesanya doesn’t like Robert Whittaker
- Israel Adesanya looking forward to facing Jared Cannonier
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