Robert Whittaker: Israel Adesanya Has to Rekindle His Love for Fighting

Robert Whittaker believes Israel Adesanya needs to rediscover his motivation after suffering another setback in the UFC.

The former two-time middleweight champion extended his losing streak to four fights last month when he was stopped by Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 271. Although Adesanya remains competitive against top-level opponents, he has struggled to keep pace with the division’s new wave of contenders.

Whittaker, who fought Adesanya twice during his own title reign, thinks his former rival needs to take a step back and figure out what still drives him.

“I think he needs to find that hunger,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “It’s easy to say he may be a little comfortable at the moment. He’s got money, he’s reached the top of the mountain, he’s done everything. He’s ticked every box. What is there he needs to achieve anymore?

“He needs to find that drive to continue doing what he’s doing, to continue to light that fire, that hunger, that love for the game. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. We all learn from our losses, and I think this is a good point for him to just make those decisions and work out where he needs to go and what he wants to do.”

Whittaker, a former champion himself, is preparing for a move to light heavyweight as he looks to avoid a similar decline. He is coming off consecutive losses to current middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder. Recently, Whittaker also spent time training with Adesanya ahead of his fight against Pyfer.

“If he wants to press on, I’m 100 percent with him,” Whittaker said about Adesanya. “I love working with him, and I’d love to see his journey continue. I’d love to see him get back up there.”