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Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. However, he came under fire from a number of viewers who believed the 32-year-old wasn't as entertaining as usual. Some fans even suggested he should have lost the fight.
Being one of the biggest names in the sport brings with it a certain expectation, and Adesanya has opened up on how it may go against him in the long run.
During an episode of the Flagrant 2 podcast, Adesanya was asked whether he fears that viewers will start scoring fights against him due to his perceived 'boring' fighting style. 'The Last Stylebender' had this to say:
"Yeah, definitely. This isn't my first rodeo, it's happened to me in kickboxing before as well... This has also happened with guys like Anderson Silva. UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. I love that fight. I watched that fight, people didn't like that fight because they said it was boring, he didn't try, he didn't do what he normally does... Because he's so dominant, and people, they know what's coming so they don't want to attack him. And when someone lands something, it's that much more bigger because it's like what the f***, he actually touched him."
It seems that Israel Adesanya's patient approach is not winning new fans. However, the champion must push on and will be hoping to prove a point when he searches for a fifth successive title defense against the next contender. He will most likely be tasked with defending his middleweight throne against Jared Cannonier.
'The Killa Gorilla' moved up to No.2 in the UFC middleweight rankings after his devastating stoppage victory over Derek Brunson last weekend. The win should rightfully earn him a shot at the Nigerian-born New Zealander.
Watch Israel Adesanya on the Flagrant 2 podcast below:
Robert Whittaker believes he did enough to beat Israel Adesanya in their rematch
Amongst those who were convinced Adesanya lost on the night was his opponent, Robert Whittaker. 'The Reaper' took to the mic directly after their close-fought battle to display his thoughts.
Suggesting the judges got it wrong, Whittaker thought his gameplan worked to perfection and that four of the five rounds should have been his.
He also admitted that he and his rival remain the top two middleweights in the world, meaning we could see them go at it for a third time in the future.
You can watch Robert Whittaker's octagon interview below:
