Robert Whittaker reacts to being the underdog in the rematch against Israel Adesanya at UFC 271

At UFC 271 in February, Robert Whittaker will face Israel Adesanya in a much awaited rematch. The fight is supposed to be thrilling, and many fans are eager to see if the outcome will be the same as last time.

Israel Adesanya dominated the first fight, which took place in October of this year. He won the UFC middleweight belt and has retained it ever since.

The odds for the bout have been announced, and Robert Whittaker is the underdog at UFC 271. That suits him perfectly as he prepares for the rematch.

Whittaker’s interview

“I’m the underdog moving into this rematch with Adesanya,” Whittaker said in an interview with Unibet Australia about the UFC 271 fight. “(It) makes sense, you know. He already beat me once. He’s the current champ. He’s sitting at the high horse and he beat me the first time. It definitely takes some of the pressure off, being the underdog.

“No one expects me to win. No one expects me to go over there and dethrone him after he beat me already. Throughout my whole career, I’ve loved being the underdog. I love getting in there and defying the odds. I like going in there and proving people wrong. It gives me that little bit of extra edge.”

When UFC 271 arrives, Robert Whittaker intends to be a better fighter. In many aspects, he’s improved, and he expects a far greater performance from himself.

“As a fighter, I’ve changed plenty because you can see I’m trying to incorporate new angles into my game,” Whittaker said. “I’m not the same guy I was then. I’m utilizing a more complete skill set. Most importantly is outside of the octagon. I’m not the same guy I was then. I’m much more at grips with who I am, why I do things, why I train, why I want to win. The most important thing is just winning. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a belt or not. It’s about winning.”

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