Robert Whittaker wants Israel Adesanya to ‘find that hunger’ if he still wants to fight

HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 12: (L-R) Israel Adesanya of Nigeria and Robert Whittaker of Australia face off as they touch gloves prior to their UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 271 event at Toyota Center on February 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Robert Whittaker knows Israel Adesanya as well as anyone, and knows what it takes for him to get his mojo back.

Two of the greatest middleweights of their generation, Whittaker and Adesanya will forever be connected by their two-fight rivalry and proud representation of the Oceanic region. Whittaker passed the torch to Adesanya in a championship unification bout at UFC 243 in 2019 where “The Last Stylebender” scored an impressive knockout win, and the pair ran it back in 2022 at UFC 271, with Adesanya winning a competitive decision in the rematch.

Now, Whittaker is preparing for a move up to light heavyweight, while Adesanya is mired in a career-worst four-fight loss after losing to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle. Whittaker broke down what went wrong for Adesanya in his latest fight and what needs to change if Adesanya plans to continue fighting.

“Much like anybody else’s, it was confusion at first because Izzy was doing so well. So well,” Whittaker told Main Event when asked for his reaction to Pyfer beating Adesanya. “But I think ultimately one of the shots that landed in that last sequence hurt him to a degree where he kind of went on autopilot and took the fight into a range and into a mess that Pyfer really is good at, he loves being in. I think one of the shots is what put Izzy into that autopilot kind of zone where he didn’t make the most accurate reads. He’s much better at distance.

“It is what it is. I think he needs to find that hunger. It’s easy to say, it’s just he may be a little comfortable at the moment. He’s got money, he’s reached the top of the mountain, he’s done everything, he’s ticked every box. What is there he needs to achieve anymore? He needs to find that. He needs to find that drive to continue doing what he’s doing, to continue to light that fire, that hunger, and that love for the game, so I don’t think it was a bad thing. We all learn from our losses and I think this is a good point for him to just make those decisions and work out where he needs to go and what he wants to do.”

Adesanya, who turns 37 in July, gave no indication he plans to retire anytime soon, even without any clear path to title contention. He has twice held UFC gold at 185 pounds and was near the top of the pound-for-pound charts for years, so from the outside looking in, Adesanya’s motivation to keep competing.

Whatever his plans are, Whittaker is in support.

“If he wants to press on, I’m 100 percent with him,” Whittaker said. “I love working with him and I’d love to see his journey continue and I’d love to see him get back up there.

“You know what’s crazy? I saw in the rankings, we were side by side again, which is something I haven’t seen for a while. I’d love to be a part of that, but ultimately I want to see him just get that love for the game, get that love for the craft, and love for contact and conflict back. Find the drive. A lot of guys that have reached the top of the mountain need to reassess their drives, otherwise it’s really hard for them to come back to where they were.”

Whittaker and Adesanya have formed a partnership in recent years, with Whittaker, who fights out of Australia, becoming a frequent visitor to Adesanya’s City Kickboxing Gym in New Zealand. Right now, the team is helping Whittaker prepare for a move up to 205 pounds, with UFC 327 headliner Carlos Ulberg and undefeated prospect Navajo Stirling doing their part to welcome “The Reaper” to the division.

“I kicked off this year at CKB,” Whittaker sai.d “I jumped over the gap to New Zealand and spent some time with Izzy and Carlos and the boys and Navajo, great tall bodies, just getting used to the hype difference that I’ve worked with in the past. So it was great. They were so receptive of me and honestly I can’t wait to go back. We have a really good working relationship right now.”

As of now, Whittaker doesn’t have an opponent set for his light heavyweight debut, though he shot down the rumor that it is former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev.