"He disowned New Zealand" - When Israel Adesanya dismissed Robert Whittaker's Kiwi heritage for moving to Australia
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are considered two of the best middleweights in the UFC, and despite both fighters hailing from the Australasian region, they often exchanged verbal shots relating to their nationalities during the build-up to their fights.
While Adesanya was born in Nigeria but is a resident of New Zealand, Whittaker was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia as a child. Given how Whittaker is of Maori and Samoan descent on his mother's side, 'The Reaper' is never afraid to represent his Kiwi roots before his fights.
Interestingly, Israel Adesanya seemingly doesn't consider Robert Whittaker to be a real New Zealander. In an episode of UFC countdown before their first fight at UFC 243, 'The Last Stylebender' boldly claimed that Whittaker had disowned his Kiwi heritage by moving to Australia.
Twitter user @GoatStPiHair tweeted a clip from the episode, in which Adesanya can be heard saying:
"He's completely Australian. He disowned New Zealand in a way. I live in Auckland, and New Zealand’s my home. Australia is his home. There's a line in the sand, I'm on this side. If you're on the other side, f*ck the other side."
Responding to Adesanya's claims, Whittaker fired back, saying:
"I don't have to prove my New Zealand heritage. You can go back and look at my interviews. I am so proud of my New Zealand heritage and the strength I draw from my Maori side. I live in Australia, I was raised in Australia... I'm proud of both."
Izzys a filthy fcking hypocrite twitter.com/ajduxche/statu… https://t.co/St52bbpoDC
Fans brutally roast Israel Adesanya for his comments about Robert Whittaker's Kiwi heritage
Fans weren't happy about Israel Adesanya questioning Robert Whittaker's nationality after 'The Last Stylebender' recently took issue with Dricus Du Plessis questioning his African roots.
For context, the South African and Israel Adesanya have been exchanging verbal shots for months after 'Stillknocks' claimed he was more 'African' than the Nigerian-born Kiwi. The two also engaged in a heated face-off after Du Plessis beat Whittaker at UFC 290.
Israel Adesanya goes off on Dricus Du Plessis and tells him to take a DNA test to prove he's African. 😳
https://t.co/HtrcTVLRfs
Fans quickly pointed out Adesanya's hypocrisy regarding nationalities and roots and took to the comments section under the tweet above to express themselves.
One fan wrote:
"Dude changing nationalities like a pair of kicks."
@GoatStPiHair Dude changing nationalities like it's a pair of kicks
Another fan asked:
"But DDP is the bad guy?"
One user tagged Du Plessis and joked about Adesanya's Chinese quote:
"Boy, I hope u watch this video. The Chinese guy is suddenly New Zealand[-ian?]."
Another fan wrote:
"Thanks for giving me another reason to hate on Israel Adesanya."
One fan joked:
"Weird, I thought Izzy was Chinese at heart."
Another user cheekily asked:
"So Adesanya is not a real Nigerian?"