Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are definitely not friends heading into their showdown at UFC 271 this month. The two have been going back and forth and both seem to know how to beat the other.
Israel Adesanya recently dropped a truth bomb on Robert Whittaker when talking about his prediction for UFC 271. The challenger made a reference to the champion's loss and he didn't appreciate it.
“My prediction is that I am going to fuck Whittaker up again,” UFC champion Adesanya said in an interview with Stake. “He can’t stand with me, so I know he will be forced to grapple. 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.
“Whittaker may have learned from his mistakes from last time for maybe a round or so, but then trust me, he will revert back to those errors. Once he feels what he felt last time, he won’t know where to turn. Also, he didn’t even grapple with me last time. He didn’t really feel me. You can ask any of my previous opponents; they will tell you. So once he feels me in a grapple, then he will get shook again.”
The UFC middleweight champion was quick to point out Robert Whittaker's comments from their last fight. He sees some improvements but it's not going to matter for Israel Adesanya.
“It was his ego last time, but I called it from the fight,” UFC champion Adesanya said. “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.
“To be honest, I have seen some improvements in his game, but it is not as drastic as you might believe. But it is an improvement, so I will have to be watchful. But I have improved, too, in the same time. I have not stayed the same, you have to realize that. I have grown at a rapid rate and learned at a really fast pace, so I am rolling with it.”