HOUSTON – Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker don’t seem to like each other all that much, but at the UFC 271 news conference Thursday, respect drove them to shake hands.
They’ve been in this situation before in October 2019 at UFC 243. The positions were different, though. Back then, Whittaker was sitting on top of the world. Adesanya was the young cat ready to show he was the new king.
In a battle of two Oceanic elites, Adesanya pieced up Whittaker en route to a second-round knockout. The loss stung Whittaker, and the rebuild was difficult. Through deep self-conversation, Whittaker straightened out his mind and began the trek back toward a title.
