Israel Adesanya has promised to f*** Robert Whittaker up again in their UFC 271 middleweight title rematch.
Adesanya defends his 185-pound title for the fourth time on February 11 since winning it against Whittaker in 2019.
'The Last Stylebender' was the interim titleholder heading into his first bout with Whittaker, but he knocked out the Australian to end his title reign and become undisputed champion.
Whittaker has gone unbeaten since his loss to Adesanya and has won consecutive fights against Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
Adesanya suffered the first defeat of his professional career when he lost out on the 205-pound title against Jan Blachowicz last year, but has since defended his middleweight belt.
And the Nigerian-born Kiwi thinks Whittaker will be forced to grapple in their second bout.
"My prediction is that I am going to f*** Whittaker up, again. He can't stand with me, so I know he will be forced to grapple," he told Stake.
"Last time he said 'Kevin Gastelum has given the blueprint on how to beat Adesanya' and now he's saying 'Jan has given the blueprint'.... he needs to write his own blueprint.
"If he wants to copy someone else's work, then by all means try, because it went so well last time for him when we fought."
Adesanya - who was outwrestled by Blachowicz in his bid to become a two-weight champion - moved back to 185-pounds and fought again three months after the loss.
He was mocked by UFC rival Jon Jones for the defeat and admitted although the size difference played a factor, he will fight at 205-pounds again.
Whittaker admitted his ego got the better of him in the lead-up to his loss against Adesanya and he won't make the same mistake in their rematch.
Can Israel Adesanya defeat Robert Whittaker again at UFC 271? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
And Adesanya has promised that Whittaker is not the "good guy" people make him out to be
"It was his ego last time, but I called it from the fight. I said at the time that he is acting out of character and I also said he is not being himself.
"People kept saying what a good guy he is, but trust me he's not. You don't see that behind the scenes and now he's admitted it was his ego that got the best of him.
"Well I told you so, he should have listened to me! What else can he say? He said after the fight that it was the best he's ever felt, well I do not forget that.
"If he can get better, he'll have to bring the best again and I will beat him again."
