Israel Adesanya jokes about making championship weight ahead of Robert Whittaker rematch - "Imma just do liposuction"

As Israel Adesanya nears his middleweight title showdown against Robert Whittaker, he's joked about making championship weight by giving fans a look at the scrumptious meal he recently indulged in.

The reigning champion shared a picture of his food on Twitter and captioned it:

"F**k it...Imma just do liposuction to make this championship weight"

Israel Adesanya went toe-to-toe with 'The Reaper' for the first time at UFC 243 in October 2019. The then-unbeaten Nigerian-New Zealander went into the bout to stake his claim for Whittaker's middleweight crown and emerged victorious as the new undisputed champion.

Adesanya managed to dominantly outperform Whittaker, recording an impressive TKO win in the second round.

UFC 243 Whittaker v Adesanya

Israel Adesanya currently holds a 21-1 record in his professional MMA career. His only loss in the cage came against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. The defeat came after 'The Last Stylebender' moved up a weight class in a bid to become a two-division champion.

Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker is on a three-fight winning streak and holds a 23-5 record in MMA.

Since losing to Adesanya, Whittaker has defeated Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till. 'The Reaper' earned a Fight of the Night bonus for his latest triumph against Gastelum in the main event of UFC Vegas 24.

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Israel Adesanya hopes to dominate Robert Whittaker in every every facet of MMA

In their bout at UFC 243, Adesanya beat Whittaker by putting on a striking masterclass. In their upcoming second meeting, 'The Last Stylebender' hopes to deliver an even better performance.

During his recent conversation with Combat TV, Adesanya expressed his plan to dominate 'The Reaper' wherever the fight goes.

"I have to dominate in every facet of this fight - grappling, standup, against the fence, in the clinch, anywhere the fight goes. So I put that pressure on myself because I expect better of myself and I want to make sure I show out even better than the first time."

Watch Israel Adesanya's full conversation with Combat TV below:

Adesanya is scheduled to defend his gold against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, which takes place on February 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The bout will mark Adesanya's fourth title defense.