Robert Whittaker hopes to see the Israel Adesanya of old.
Next month, Adesanya takes on Shara Magomedov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. It’s a pivotal fight for the former two-time middleweight champion, who is riding a four-fight losing streak, and it’s one that Adesanya foe-turned-friend Robert Whittaker is concerned about.
“I don’t like this. I don’t like it,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade podcast. “But it’s also like, if Israel comes on like he did at the beginning of Imavov, if he comes on, this is a technical fight he can win. He can beat Shara across the park. Shara’s not going for a takedown. Shara’s not going for a takedown. If this is in pure standup ability, Israel’s phenomenal. His standup is so good. It’s just, he’s got to sustain that vision throughout the fight, the entire fight.
“Like Imavov, he started so well. I can’t help but feel he didn’t sustain that vision; he didn’t sustain the focus for the entire fight. I don’t know.”
Adesanya and Whittaker had a heated rivalry between 2019 and 2022, fighting each other twice for the middleweight title with Adesanya winning both encounters. In recent years, though, the two have become friends and occasional training partners. And Whittaker believes that if the Adesanya he fought shows up, instead of the version who has lost four in a row, Shara Bullet is in trouble.
“I think the real fight here is Israel vs. himself,” Whittaker said. “I want to see Izzy come in the way Izzy of old [did]; his head switched on, focused, laser-focused, and I think he beats the brakes off Shara, to be honest. Yeah, I have Israel all day.”
UFC Saudi Arabia takes place on Dec. 5 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
