Israel Adesanya Believes Robert Whittaker Was Not Ready :- “He Was Like a Jaguar That Has Been Cornered”

Though UFC 243 is in the books now, the performance by Israel Adesanya is one for the ages. Israel Adesanya could not have done anything better than he did that night. Starting from the entrance to the clinical performance inside the octagon to the post-fight call out, Israel Adesanya executed everything spectacularly.

It’s safe to say that to put all those theatrics before you go into the octagon to fight a UFC champion is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are very few fighters in the UFC who have been able to thrive under that kind of pressure. However, Robert Whittaker was not one of them as per Israel Adesanya. The Nigerian champion believes Whittaker already lost before the fight even started.

In a recent interview with ESPN, the reigning welterweight champion, Israel Adesanya talked about his entrance and all the theatrics leading up to the fight and said:

“If came out like that super confident and did not pull it off then I am gonna be the butt of all jokes. I am gonna be the laughing stock of the world. But there is a reason I always say what I want to do and I get it done cause I do everything in my power to make sure it happens. “

Israel Adesanya believes that the time away from the sport cost Robert Whittaker immensely as he was not able to deal with everything that went down in Marvel Stadium in UFC 243. Adesanya claimed:

“Pressure is an acquired taste and I eat that sh** for breakfast, it’s delicious. Robert has been away for a long time. It’s not delicious to him, it’s yuck. There is a moment when he walked into the octagon and I remember like he was not ready. He was pacing back and forth like a jaguar in trouble like a jaguar that has been cornered. He is still dangerous. If you corner a beast they will f**k you up. But I caught his eyes and let him know I can see you. I can see past all the shits you are trying to fake. He is pounding his chest and he is like, Lets’s f***ing go.”

It’s hard to disagree with Adesanya’s assessments of Whittaker’s mindset too. Even Robert Whittaker admitted that he wanted to punch Israel Adesanya harder after Adesanya danced his way into the octagon. Not only that, Whittaker played Adesanya’s game and decided to strike with him the entire time. 

Even if Israel Adesanya won the fight against Whittaker fairly easily it’s safe to assume that he is going to fight Robert Whittaker again soon. As far as Whittaker is concerned, it seems he does need a few tune-up fights because of the time away from the sport and the injuries.