"You can learn from anyone" - Israel Adesanya spars with young students at VRMA in preparation for UFC 271
Israel Adesanya is preparing for his second fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. While 'The Last Stylebender' trains hard for every battle and is surrounded by some of the most skilled talents in the game, he believes that the learning curve never stops in MMA.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion recently sparred with a group of young students at Van Roon Martial Arts (VRMA). The Nigerian-New Zealander believes he can improve on his skills and bring out the best in himself by sparring with the young guns of the sport.
Here's what Israel Adesanya said during an episode of his UFC 271 fight camp video:
"There's always more to learn. You can learn from anyone - from youngins because, you know, I'm sure most of them look at me and think as a UFC champion, the stylebender, what can I possibly teach him, but trust me, they can teach me a lot and they have taught me a lot today already. Just watching the way, even in the first drill... they were snapping their kicks and I was like, 'Okay, I need to bring that back.'"
You can catch the first episode of Israel Adesanya's UFC 271 Fight Camp series below:
Israel Adesanya currently holds a 21-1 record in his professional MMA career. His only defeat in the octagon came against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. The loss came after he moved up a weight class in a bid to become a two-division champion at UFC 259.
Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker is riding a three-fight winning streak in the UFC and has an MMA record of 23-5. Whittaker earned a Fight of the Night bonus for his latest triumph at UFC Vegas 24. He took home an extra $50,000 for his main event beatdown of Kelvin Gastelum.
Israel Adesanya to train with Carl Van Roon for Robert Whittaker rematch
Israel Adesanya has brought Carl Van Roon back into his training camp ahead of his much-anticipated rematch with 'The Reaper'. Van Roon is the head coach at VRMA and was part of Adesanya's camp for his title-winning performance against Whittaker back in 2019.
The Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch is scheduled to headline the UFC 271 pay-per-view. The event is set to take place on February 12, 2022, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
A title eliminator between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier is also expected to go down on the card.
ON SALE NOW: #UFC271 at Toyota Center on February 12th! You're not going to want to miss this night of fights!
Get Tickets: bit.ly/3lWkcDP https://t.co/CZ99jRPM8P