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Robert Whittaker realizes that a lot of things went wrong for him when he defended the UFC middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 back in 2019. From the build-up and media interactions to the fight itself, it was somewhat evident that 'The Reaper' had lost the plot ahead of his first title defense.
Looking back at the fight, Robert Whittaker analyzed the critical errors he made during the scrap. According to 'The Reaper', he adopted a very reckless approach and it cost him dearly. Whittaker said he desperately wanted to get a finish and that's what left him vulnerable to getting hit in the fight.
Robert Whittaker, however, claims he's addressed the errors from the first fight with Adesanya and won't be repeating them in their upcoming rematch. He's promised to come up with a different approach this time around.
"Getting hit in the face. Definitely, definitely that one. Probably my recklessness moving in, I was recklessly charging in. I was falling into every one of his baits, every one of his traps and just stubbornly just trying to press forward, press the attack and rip his head off. That's what was going through my head and it didn't work and that's not how I usually fight. You don't see me fight like that in a lot of other fights. I have addressed it, I've reflected on it and you know, we're going to try and get in there and do something different this time," Whittaker told MMA Junkie.
Check out the interview below:
Robert Whittaker heaps praise on Israel Adesanya's recent performances
Robert Whittaker lost to Adesanya the last time they fought and 'The Reaper' is aware of the threats 'The Last Stylebender' poses. The former champ praised Adesanya's recent performances and the fact that he's managed to come out largely unscathed in his last few fights.
"I think he's had good performances. He's been safe in all of them. I don't think anyone's come close to beating him to be honest...He's a phenomenal fighter. I'll give him props when they're due," Whittaker said.
Adesanya and Whittaker are set to reignite their rivalry in the main event of UFC 271. The pair meet on February 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
