5 reasons why Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 will be more competitive than the first fight

UFC 271 poster [Image courtesy of @ufc on Twitter]

Israel Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, the promotion's second pay-per-view of 2022. The event is set to go down at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, where a stacked card will be underway on February 12th.

Adesanya and Whittaker will be fighting for the second time, over two years after their first bout. The duo locked horns in the main event of UFC 243 back in October 2019 at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. That night, 'The Last Stylebender' stunned the crowd in attendance and fans around the world with a sensational second-round KO victory.

The first meeting went @Stylebender's way! 💥

How will the rematch go at #UFC271? https://t.co/Vc1CJPGdRg

Since their first fight, Adesanya and Whittaker have established themselves as the clear-cut best fighters in the UFC's 185 lbs division. Additionally, there are a ton of factors to consider while recalling the first contest between the middleweight duo that likely played a role in the eventual result.

That said, here are five reasons why the Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch will be way more competitive than the first fight.

#5. Robert Whittaker was "burnt out" going into first fight with Israel Adesanya

Following back-to-back TKO victories over Derek Brunson and Ronaldo Souza, Robert Whittaker earned a shot at interim gold. The Australian took on Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC 213. The duo put on a barnburner of a fight and Whittaker came away with a unanimous decision victory.

Their bout won the 'Fight of the Night' honors and they squared off in a rematch just under a year later. Their second bout saw Whittaker edge out yet another decision victory and they won the 'Fight of the Night' bonus yet again.

Whittaker Survives Romero

Robert ‘Bobby Knuckles’ Whittaker beats Yoel Romero by split decision to win incredible #UFC225 main event https://t.co/2gbtYs1xWC

Fighting a physical specimen like Romero takes a toll on the body. Whittaker went 10 rounds with the Cuban powerhouse and both fights were absolute wars.

It was later revealed that Whittaker injured his knee in the first round of their first fight. After the second fight, 'The Reaper' revealed in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he felt he broke his hand in the first round. His suspicions were confirmed soon after.

At UFC 234, Robert Whittaker was slated to defend his belt against Kelvin Gastelum. Unfortunately, he was forced to pull out of the fight after falling ill the night before the event. Clearly, Whittaker's run as the champion of the middleweight division was plagued with misfortune.

Update from Rob Whittaker's management #UFC234 https://t.co/G07uWUWn09

Whittaker's next bout was against Israel Adesanya. The Australian lost via KO in the second round and didn't quite look himself on the night. He subsequently revealed that he felt "burnt-out" going into the fight and had lost his love for the sport during his training camp as well.

During an interview with ESPN MMA a month after his loss to Adesanya, he said:

"I was just feeling burnt out [after the loss to Israel Adesanya]. All those thoughts were going through my head. I was just feeling burnt out, feeling burnt out... When you're feeling burnt out or run-down or anything else you want to just spend time with those who care the most about you, my family. I told the team, the coaches, that I need to take a step back and spend some time with the family and I'll be back when I'm back."

Watch Robert Whittaker discuss the circumstances leading into his first fight with Israel Adesanya below:

Going into his rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 272, Robert Whittaker will undoubtedly be in the best shape of his life, both physically and mentally.