Robert Whittaker may have lost to Israel Adesanya twice, but it has only made him more determined to beat the Middleweight Champion. The former champ is ready to beat any and all comers to get to the crown once more. His pursuit isn’t supported by all UFC fans however, with a section of the fanbase sharing some colorful thoughts on what they think will go down.

Ahead of his bout against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okomoto, the Australian made his intentions for an Adesanya trilogy clear. Having lost the first two fights he will be trying to draw inspiration from Izzy’s resilience when it comes to thwarting opponents that have beaten him multiple times over.

Beating Israel Adesanya is something I have to do as a warrior, as a professional: Robert Whittaker

The former middleweight champion has made clear time and again that he would like to fight and beat “Stylebender” over anybody else for the title. 

“As a warrior, as a professional… I have to get the win back off (Israel Adesanya). I want to win the title as well, as they’re two goals, if I can get them at the same time that would be perfect.” 

Whittaker had told Submission Radio earlier that “I’m never gonna stop hunting him. Ever. Ever.” and how he wants to “take the title off Izzy” otherwise “it’s not the same”.

When Israel Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round in their first clash to unify the middleweight title at UFC 243 back in 2019, there was a consensus among MMA fans and experts that Adesanya had outclassed Whittaker with his superior striking skills.

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However, Whittaker had a much-improved showing in their second clash at UFC 271 last year, though. The fight went the distance and Adesanya was declared the winner through Unanimous Decision.

 A section of fans, however, thought Whittaker had won the second fight on the back of his dominance on the ground- Whittaker had 4 successful takedowns, Adesanya had none.

Fans react to Whittaker’s challenge

So, Whittaker’s comments about Adesanya drew polarized reactions from fans. Some feel that the New Zealand-based Nigerian fighter had already beaten the Australian twice, while others feel Whittaker was robbed and deserves a third go-around with Adesanya to right that wrong. Here’s what fans had to say:

“Bö @cavalierbongs” thinks Whittaker will never beat Izzy

“Nick Diaz Army MFERS @ArmyMfers” disagreed & thought Whittaker won the second fight:

“Linus Seino @cloudevopsguru” wondered if even Whittaker believed his comments:

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To which “Gandhi @mahatamah” replied:

“TurbulantEcho @pramericano” jumped in to defend Adesanya:

That’s coping man, that second fight was pretty one sided, Izzy always one step ahead and showing he’s just on another level.. judges, commentators, media scores all said the same – Whittaker clearly showed he isn’t championship level.

While others felt that Du Plessis would stop Whittaker, throwing cold water on Whittaker’s plans to “hunt” Izzy.

“Milo of Croton @tajikbay” thought Whittaker was past his prime:

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While fans are divided on what will happen in a third fight between Whittaker and Adesanya, or whether there should even be a third fight, Whittaker’s performance against Du Plessis will determine whether fans and experts would want a third fight. Do you think Whittaker and Adesanya should fight again? Tell us in the comments below.

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