HOUSTON – Robert Whittaker doesn’t think it’s over.
The former UFC middleweight champion feels a third fight with Israel Adesanya is bound to happen once again despite him being 0-2 against the champion.
Whittaker (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) lost for a second time against Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) this Saturday in the main event of UFC 271. The two fought for 25 minutes and a unanimous decision was awarded to Adesanya, as he scored 48–47, 48–47, and 49–46 on the three judges’ scorecards.
Whittaker disagrees with the decision and strongly believes he did enough to get the win.
“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, and 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.”
Whittaker had fought three times and defeated top contenders Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum after losing his belt to Adesanya at UFC 243 in 2019.
The 31-year-old has no problem doing the same and expects to see Adesanya once more.
“A third fight between me and Izzy is inevitable because I’m going to stomp anyone that comes in front of me again,” Whittaker said. “He knows that too that’s why he said he’ll be seeing me in the future. I don’t see him losing the belt any time soon. He is good. He is good. I think I’m the person to beat him. And my mission stays the same, beat the next guy in front of me.”
