Israel Adesanya returned to winning ways last weekend with a stunning victory over Martin Vettori. In the post-fight interview, The Last Stylebender was typically forthright with his delivery. Israel wants to fight Robert Whittaker once more, but this time on his own turf, back home in New Zealand.
“That other c**t, what’s his name? Rob Whittaker, Bobby Knuckles. I knocked him out twice. I don’t know what the f**k is going to happen with this whole COVID s**t.”
Adesanya Issues SAVAGE callout for Aussie rival Whittaker
“But we need to run that back in Auckland. We need to run that back in my territory this time.”
Adesanya dethroned Whittaker back in 2019 to claim the Middleweight crown. The event took place in Australia, Whittaker’s home country, and seems only to have motivated the former champion since.
Whittaker is now on a three-fight win streak, and has returned to the place of number one contender in the Middleweight division. Since his defeat at Adesanya’s hands, “Bobby Knuckles” delivered dominant performances against some of the toughest men in the division, including Darren Till and Kelvin Gastelum. A rematch between the champ and the man he took the title from is a thrilling prospect for the UFC, and Dana White agrees:
“Adesanya, before this fight happened, maybe two or three days ago, we got the word that ‘I want to fight again in October.’ He hasn’t even fought yet and this kid is already talking about his next fight. I love that. Adesanya has become a very badass champion for us. So yeah, we’ll figure out him and Whittaker ASAP.”
Adesanya has fought every few months since winning the title, including his sole career loss to Jan Blachowicz in an attempt to move up to the Light Heavyweight division. His rapid pace may prevent this rematch from occurring in either man’s native country, as Australia and New Zealand have some of the strictest COVID protocols in the world.
Israel came back from his loss to Blachowicz to dominate Martin Vettori on the feet, sweeping a unanimous 50-45 decision. His performance depended heavily on Muay Thai-style leg kicks, and despite Vettori’s best attempts to take the fight to the ground, Adesanya displayed hitherto unforeseen grappling ability to escape every time.
Whittaker’s response to Adesanya’s inflammatory words was simple: “Rest up, see you soon.”
Do you think Robert Whittaker can reclaim the Middleweight title, or will Israel Adesanya continue his undefeated reign in the division? Let us know in the comments.
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