HOUSTON – UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya openly doesn’t like Robert Whittaker, but there’s part of him that can’t help but relate.
Ahead of a rematch at UFC 271, Adesanya (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) said he’d be lying if he told reporters Whittaker (23-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) hadn’t improved since their first meeting in October 2019.
A big part of Whittaker’s reinvention has been his attitude and mindset – something Adesanya gets. As someone who has experienced loss, Adesanya recognizes rebuild and what it means.
“It’s no secret that we don’t like each other,” Adesanya said. “There is no need for it. There is no need for us to like each other, but I do empathize with what he said. Who brought this up to me? I can’t remember. I think he talked about it on Instagram. We talked about his dark place he went to after the last time I beat him. I’ve been there. Everyone has been there in their own personal way. I understand, and I empathize when you don’t want to get up and all that stuff and you lose motivation. Yeah, I’m glad he’s pulled himself out of it. I’m glad he’s feeling much better. He’s a better man, a better fighter, all that. So yeah, I’ll take him to the dark place again.”
For Adesanya, however, his parallels with Whittaker diverge when it comes to accepting defeat. Unconcerned with wins and losses, Adesanya said he’s more focused on his climb from a big picture. Adesanya indicated he doesn’t think Whittaker has accepted the October 2019 loss, as he did with his March 2021 loss to Jan Blachowicz. That’s the difference.
“Exactly, but I recall. I’m the elephant in the room,” Adesanya said. “I never forget. He said, ‘I felt great’ after the last fight. He said, ‘I felt great. This is the best I’ve ever felt, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m glad he said that.’ I’m glad he didn’t make any excuses. And from what I’ve heard now, it’s like, I think (someone) was saying, ‘Have you seen the interviews?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ He’s like, ‘He’s still a bit salty.’ I’m like, ‘Huh, interesting.’ And I just left it at that.
“From what I’ve seen on Instagram, sometimes he just battles with himself. Sometimes he accepts it, and sometimes, he’s like, ‘Sometimes, I hate to admit it, and he’s right.’ I saw that on one of the clips on Instagram. He said, ‘I hate to admit it, but he’s right.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, you should’ve listened to me in 2019 when I called it as it was.’ People thought I was talking sh*t, but no, I was just speaking the truth. He wasn’t acting himself. He was acting out of character. I’m glad he’s accepted that now. Yeah, that makes him dangerous to me. That makes him really dangerous. At the same time, it’s the same.
“Same but different.”
UFC 271 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center. The pay-per-view main card streams on ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
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