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MMA legend Chael Sonnen has detailed Robert Whittaker's beef with Israel Adesanya.
Chael Sonnen suggested that somewhere along the line after their UFC 243 fight, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya seemingly decided that they were rivals.
"But it wouldn't seem as though it was a personal vendetta. It would seem as though everybody did what everybody was expected to do, and then we had a contest under the unified rules (of MMA), and we agreed to shake hands and walk away and live with the result. I'm missing something or am I not? Am I not? Are these two just mad at each other just because one day they woke up and decided they're rivals?" (*Video courtesy: Chael Sonnen; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
In an episode of Beyond the Fight on his YouTube channel, former UFC star Chael Sonnen revealed that he's unable to ascertain the true reason behind the recent escalation in the rivalry between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
Sonnen noted that he understands why the Australian and 'The Last Stylebender' fought one another at UFC 243 (October 2019). 'The American Gangster' pointed out that both fighters competed in the same division. Sonnen added that Robert Whittaker was the undisputed UFC middleweight champion, whereas Israel Adesanya was the interim UFC middleweight champion.
Besides, Sonnen emphasized that this was also an Australia vs. New Zealand matchup, as Robert Whittaker represented Australia and Israel Adesanya represented New Zealand. Considering the variables mentioned above, their UFC 243 matchup made sense.
Chael Sonnen explained that the fight wasn't competitive. Sonnen also highlighted that Israel Adesanya engaged in trash talk, sold the fight, and did what he does best. Similarly, Robert Whittaker trained hard and showed up to fight. Nevertheless, Sonnen opined that this still doesn't explain why they seem to be at odds with one another as of late.
Moreover, following his UFC 263 (June 2021) win over Marvin Vettori, Adesanya was noticeably irate and called out Whittaker. Chael Sonnen said he was surprised to see Adesanya refer to Whittaker as his "old nemesis."
"I want to enjoy. I want to look forward to this. I don't have enough yet because the first contest wasn't overly competitive, and I don't know where this rivalry came from. I'm asking. What happened here? Did Whittaker do something to Adesanya? Why is Adesanya, who took Whittaker's belt, referring to Whittaker as his old nemesis? Why is Whittaker upset with Adesanya for getting in his head? It would seem as though something you'd tip your hat to. Go, 'Well done; didn't know that anybody could get in my head. It's never happened to me before. You succeeded; won't happen again,'" said Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen continued that Paulo Costa would make sense as Adesanya's nemesis, as Costa trash-talked him and didn't accept the outcome of their fight despite losing to Adesanya. Sonnen explained:
"Whittaker seemed somewhat content. He did. He seemed somewhat content with the outcome of that (UFC 243) contest; and somewhat content with leaving well enough alone and walking away. But he's been drawn back in. Whittaker now comes out today, used profanity at Adesanya – I don't remember Whittaker using profanity at anybody. And Whittaker was pretty candid. He said, 'Look, Adesanya got in my head'. He called him some names and said, 'He got into my head'. Looks like these guys are gonna rematch."
Watch Chael Sonnen's take on the rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker below:
Akin to Chael Sonnen, many fans and experts in the MMA community have suggested that they’re unable to identify where and exactly how the Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya feud intensified.
Israel Adesanya’s next UFC middleweight title defense is likely to be a rematch against Robert Whittaker
Israel Adesanya’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision win against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 (June 2021).
Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision win against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum (April 2021).
The consensus in the MMA community is that Israel Adesanya is likely to defend his UFC middleweight title in a rematch against Robert Whittaker next. Their first fight took place at UFC 243 (October 2019). Adesanya won that bout via a second-round KO.
Furthermore, as noted by Chael Sonnen, Robert Whittaker recently sounded off on Israel Adesanya.
Which fighter do you see winning the UFC middleweight title rematch between ‘The Reaper’ and Israel Adesanya? Sound off in the comments.
