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Robert Whittaker has discussed how he's improved ahead of his highly anticipated rematch with Israel Adesanya.
Back at UFC 243 in October 2019, Israel Adesanya knocked Robert Whittaker out to claim the UFC middleweight title in a scintillating performance. 'The Reaper' wasn't really at the races that night and while he did come forward with real intent, he also left himself vulnerable to some nasty counters from 'The Last Stylebender'.
Now at UFC 271, Whittaker will have the chance to avenge that loss and reclaim his belt when the two meet in Houston, Texas next month.
In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Whittaker spoke candidly about what he's done to change things up in time for the rematch. 'The Reaper' said:
“All the ideas are fresh, there’s been so many changes… that’s a long time between fights. I’ve changed so many things since that fight. I’ve changed coaching staff, I’ve changed locations, I’ve changed the way I train, why I train. I’ve changed myself as a person outside of the octagon, which directly impacts how I am inside, walking into it, how I deal with my training and how I develop my training, how I’m going through it all, how I’m going through the process. There’s been a lot of changes and I guess that’s the overarching feature or feeling I get when I’m moving into this next fight. It’s just that I am confident and I am satisfied with who I am and why I do it, and what I’m doing to get to this fight. When I get in there, I’m gonna give it my absolute 100% and I will be satisfied with the result if I can do that. I didn’t get that satisfaction after the first fight."
Watch Robert Whittaker discuss his rematch with Israel Adesanya here:
Who has Robert Whittaker beaten to get back to the title scene?
It's safe to say that Robert Whittaker has been busy ever since his humbling UFC 243 defeat. It was July 2020 when he returned to the cage and despite being dropped early by Darren Till, he rebounded to secure an impressive unanimous decision win.
From there he picked up two more decision wins, both of which were equally impressive over Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
'The Reaper' has always been viewed as one of the best middleweights of his generation and if he was ever going to get the better of Adesanya, now is the time.
