Israel Adesanya recalls knocking out Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 - "That night was just perfect"
Israel Adesanya has recalled knocking out Robert Whittaker in their UFC middleweight title unification bout at UFC 243 in October 2019. ‘The Last Stylebender’ asserted that the night was “just perfect.”
The UFC 243 event witnessed then-interim titleholder Israel Adesanya fight then-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the headlining bout. Adesanya put on a striking clinic and dominated the fight.
The Nigerian-New Zealander beat ‘The Reaper’ via second-round KO and emerged as the new undisputed middleweight king.
ISRAEL ADESANYA IS THE TRUTH! 😱
Stylebender makes a statement and finishes Robert Whittaker in the second round!
The UNDISPUTED champ! 🏆
#UFC243 https://t.co/c55lbZd2kq
Adesanya is now set to defend his title in a rematch against Robert Whittaker. In a Countdown video ahead of their second clash at UFC 271, the 32-year-old harked back to their 2019 fight.
‘The Last Stylebender’ recalled going into his New Zealand-born Australian rival’s home turf and beating him for UFC gold. Adesanya stated:
“That night was just perfect. Going into enemy territory. Staking my claim. Owning a moment. Just expressing beautiful, violent art. Everyone that was supporting me could walk out of there with their head held high, like, ‘Yeah. Our guy won.’ That feeling is going to sit with them forever.”
Watch Israel Adesanya discuss his incredible UFC 243 win in the video below:
Robert Whittaker on being “burnt out” before his UFC 243 fight against Israel Adesanya
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Robert Whittaker recalled his knockout loss against 'The Last Stylebender'.
Whittaker revealed that his training camp for that fight was a "slog." Suggesting that he was burnt out from the MMA game itself, ‘The Reaper’ explained:
“It was such a different experience because for one, I was burnt out from the game itself. The camp was just a slog trying to get through it. I was dragging my feet getting to training, doing everything that I was doing for the fight, that it just wasn’t fun. I wasn’t enjoying it. Whereas this time, it’s been hard work, but I’ve been enjoying it... I’m enjoying the ride. I made sure to enjoy the moments between sessions a lot more. A week out from the fight, I’m enjoying this week a lot more. I’m enjoying the lead-up and the build-up a lot more - I’m happy, I’m in a good place."
Catch Robert Whittaker's appearance on Submission Radio below:
The high-stakes title rematch will headline the UFC 271 fight card inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on February 12.
Time for the rematch 🍿 #UFC271 https://t.co/Wmxcl7GMVx