‘Did he invent a new move?’: Israel Adesanya claims Robert Whittaker is getting ‘way too much’ credit for improvements since losing their first fight ahead of UFC 271 grudge match
- Israel Adesanya is defending his UFC middlweight title on Saturday night
- He faces Robert Whittaker in rematch having dethroned him to win the belt
- Whittaker has won all three of his fights since losing against Adesanya
- But the champion is not impressed by the improvements in opponent’s game
Israel Adesanya is not impressed by the changes Robert Whittaker has made ahead of their UFC 271 showdown.
Adesanya meets the Australian for a second time having dethroned him as king of the middleweight division two-and-a-half years ago.
Many believe Whittaker has significantly improved since then, but ‘Stylebender’ thinks they must have a low bar.
Robert Whittaker suffered a defeat on home turf against Israel Adesanya (right) in 2019
He said on his YouTube channel, when asked if his rival is getting too much credit: ‘Yes, way too much. To the point where I’m like, ‘Did he invent a new move or something? Did he reinvent the jab?’
‘He improved, yes, but not to the point where people have blown it up to be. The proportion. I think maybe people just have low standards, that’s all. I just have high standards…
‘He played the game very well against all three opponents, I feel. At the same time, you put those three guys together, they don’t amount to me.
‘The way they play the game, it’s not the same. So like I said, (Georges St-Pierre impression) ‘I was not impressed by your performance.’
Whittaker has bounced back by winning three in a row but Adesanya is not impressed
‘Stylebender’ has looked untouchable at middleweight and is eyeing another title defence
Whittaker has overcome Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum since losing to Adesanya.
But the champion thinks his challenger’s ego is a problem.
He went on: ‘I saw a little snippet of what he was saying. It’s like he finds it hard to swallow.
‘It’s a hard pill for him to swallow. He’s admitting it, he’s saying the right things, but he’s not believing it. He’s ego won’t let him and that’s his downfall. His ego. People tried to say that about me leading to the first fight, ‘Oh, he’s too egotistical. He’s not humble like Whittaker.’
‘I’m like, bro, stop. I am extraordinarily humble. He’s got this new found mental clarity and it would help him positively if it was true. I just don’t buy into it.’