As UFC 271 sneaks closer, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are ready to prove themselves. This title fight is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. ‘Izzy’ may be undefeated in the middleweight division, however, many fans think Whittaker will defeat him this time.
Both fighters have been speaking about their upcoming fight and seem very confident. They have also been talking about each other quite a lot.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In a new conversation with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, ‘The Last Stylebender’ spoke about Whittaker thinking that he has a blueprint to defeat him.
Only a few days until their paths cross once more ⚔️
Don't miss our SportsCenter Special: UFC 271 Whittaker 🆚 Adesanya 2 preview.
📺 Thursday | 5pm & 9:30pm AEDT on ESPN2.@UFC_AUSNZ pic.twitter.com/xtYs2e7LEL
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) February 8, 2022
Adesanya said, “Yeah, I mean, that’s what he’s gonna try and do in this fight. He looked at someone else’s homework and said, ‘ooh, I’m going to copy that’ and failed miserably because he’s trying to copy someone else’s homework. So now he’s doing the same thing, looking at the Jan fight, which I guess is smart and there’s some things I think they saw in that fight they thought they can implement.”
“They’ll find out,” he added.
It is common for fighters and their team to understand the opponents’ fight style and prepare accordingly. But Adesanya, in a previous interview, mentioned that he won’t fight ‘Bobby Knuckles’ the same way as last time. Hence, it looks like ‘The Last Stylebender’ has some new tricks up his sleeve.
Will Israel Adesanya grapple in UFC 271?
In the same conversation with Okamoto, Adesanya also mentioned that most people have not seen him grapple. He is confident about his grappling skills, plus Whittaker might not be able to keep Adesanya on the ground, as Blachowicz did.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As a result, it looks like the 21-1-0 record holder will implement his grappling skills to stun ‘Bobby Knuckles’ in their upcoming fight.
Now Whittaker has also shown interest in grappling with Adesanya. According to him, having ‘Izzy’ on the ground would give him a lot of advantages.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch this story: Robert Whittaker’s Intense Training Routine For His Title Rematch At UFC 271
Seeing such high-caliber fighters grapple for the UFC middleweight title will sure rile up the crowd and present an unseen style from both men. Which fighter do you expect to win between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker?