5 reasons why Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 will be more competitive than the first fight

Israel Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, the promotion's second pay-per-view of 2022. The event is set to go down at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, where a stacked card will be underway on February 12th.

Adesanya and Whittaker will be fighting for the second time, over two years after their first bout. The duo locked horns in the main event of UFC 243 back in October 2019 at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. That night, 'The Last Stylebender' stunned the crowd in attendance and fans around the world with a sensational second-round KO victory.

Since their first fight, Adesanya and Whittaker have established themselves as the clear-cut best fighters in the UFC's 185 lbs division. Additionally, there are a ton of factors to consider while recalling the first contest between the middleweight duo that likely played a role in the eventual result.

That said, here are five reasons why the Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch will be way more competitive than the first fight.

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#5. Robert Whittaker was "burnt out" going into first fight with Israel Adesanya

Following back-to-back TKO victories over Derek Brunson and Ronaldo Souza, Robert Whittaker earned a shot at interim gold. The Australian took on Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC 213. The duo put on a barnburner of a fight and Whittaker came away with a unanimous decision victory.

Their bout won the 'Fight of the Night' honors and they squared off in a rematch just under a year later. Their second bout saw Whittaker edge out yet another decision victory and they won the 'Fight of the Night' bonus yet again.

Fighting a physical specimen like Romero takes a toll on the body. Whittaker went 10 rounds with the Cuban powerhouse and both fights were absolute wars.

It was later revealed that Whittaker injured his knee in the first round of their first fight. After the second fight, 'The Reaper' revealed in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he felt he broke his hand in the first round. His suspicions were confirmed soon after.

At UFC 234, Robert Whittaker was slated to defend his belt against Kelvin Gastelum. Unfortunately, he was forced to pull out of the fight after falling ill the night before the event. Clearly, Whittaker's run as the champion of the middleweight division was plagued with misfortune.

Whittaker's next bout was against Israel Adesanya. The Australian lost via KO in the second round and didn't quite look himself on the night. He subsequently revealed that he felt "burnt-out" going into the fight and had lost his love for the sport during his training camp as well.

During an interview with ESPN MMA a month after his loss to Adesanya, he said:

"I was just feeling burnt out [after the loss to Israel Adesanya]. All those thoughts were going through my head. I was just feeling burnt out, feeling burnt out... When you're feeling burnt out or run-down or anything else you want to just spend time with those who care the most about you, my family. I told the team, the coaches, that I need to take a step back and spend some time with the family and I'll be back when I'm back."

Watch Robert Whittaker discuss the circumstances leading into his first fight with Israel Adesanya below:

Going into his rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 272, Robert Whittaker will undoubtedly be in the best shape of his life, both physically and mentally.

#4. Robert Whittaker has been on scintillating form while Israel Adesanya has been hot and cold

Looking at both fighters' last three fights, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are seemingly on different runs of form.

Whittaker, following his loss to Adesnya in 2019, took a year-long hiatus from the octagon. He returned to action at UFC Fight Island 3 to take on English middleweight Darren Till. The duo put on a highly technical affair which saw the Australian come away with a unanimous decision victory.

He subsequently took on Jared Cannonier at UFC 254. Cannonier was being anointed by Israel Adesanya, the reigning champion, as the next contender for the title should he beat 'The Reaper'. Whittaker dominated all three rounds of the bout.

Whittaker took on Kelvin Gastelum in a five-round main event in his most recent bout at UFC Vegas 24. He put on an absolute masterclass to earn another unanimous decision win.

The Australian's three-fight win streak reignited the MMA community's interest in a rematch with Adesanya. Whittaker looked on point in his three bouts since the loss to his Kiwi rival and seemingly appeared to be enjoying himself as well. The love for the game is clearly back for the former champ.

Israel Adesanya put in a near-perfect performance against Paulo Costa in his second title defense. He secured a TKO victory against the Brazilian and subsequently opted to make a move to light heavyweight to take on then-205 lbs champion Jan Blachowicz.

Adesanya came up short in his attempt at becoming a two-division champion, losing via unanimous decision to the Polish champion. In his next bout, he defended his middleweight title against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 last year. While it was a comfortable victory, the Kiwi's performance wasn't anything to write home about.

He called out Robert Whittaker in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Adesanya recently revealed that he was feeling "bored" at times during the loss to Blachowicz and the win over Vettori. During an interview with ESPN MMA, the New Zealander dubbed 2021 as the most "lackluster" year of his career and shared his desire to stay active in 2022.

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#3. The blueprint to beat Israel Adesanya has been revealed

At UFC 259 last year, Israel Adesanya suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career. As discussed in the previous entry, Adesanya took on then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in pursuit of double-champ status.

Blachowicz didn't attempt to blitz Adesanya the way Whittaker did in their first fight. The Polish fighter opted to allow 'The Last Stylebender' to come to him, opening up the opportunity to land takedowns in the center of the octagon.

Adesanya's takedown defense is immaculate when he's against the cage wall. Blachowicz exposed the Kiwi's inability to get back up without the help of the fence. He came away with a unanimous decision victory and became the first fighter to defeat the reigning middleweight champion.

Robert Whittaker believes Jan Blachowicz provided a blueprint to beat Israel Adesanya. 'The Reaper' certainly took note of the former light heavyweight champion's strategy in defeating Adesanya. During an interview with MMA Junkie, he said:

"I think Jan [Blachowicz] set a blueprint on how to beat him [Israel Adesanya]. But again I don't have the same skillset and tools that Jan does. I don't have that Polish power, nor that Polish head. You know, like he's a tough guy. So gotta utilize what I have. Definitely we saw that Izzy is much less dangerous off his back. Still dangerous but less dangerous. You know, if I was a strategist I would be writing down all the points which Jan utilized to take that win and then putting it in my own."

He added:

"I would love to be able to get him [Israel Adesanya] on his back and to work on the ground. It’s no secret that the greatest advantage anyone would have with ‘Izzy’ is on his back where he can’t use his long arms and long legs to hit you. It’s no secret."

#2. Robert Whittaker admits Israel Adesanya got into his head before first fight

Israel Adesanya is one of the best trash-talkers in combat sports. The quick-witted Kiwi has always had the soundbite to back up his incredible abilities in the cage and often takes pleasure in jibing at his opponents.

Robert Whittaker, in contrast, is one of the nicest individuals on the UFC roster. He seldom exudes many emotions going into a fight. The affable Australian prefers to kill his opponents with kindness rather than allow them the opportunity to get on his nerves.

However, this wasn't the case going into his first fight with Adesanya. Whittaker allowed himself to get drawn into the hype and trash talk coming his way and it showed in his performance.

Watch a compilation of Israel Adesanya's trash-talk directed at Robert Whittaker below:

In retrospect, Robert Whittaker recognizes how he let his disdain for Israel Adesanya get the better of him. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Whittaker opened up about his mindset going into the first fight.

He said:

“I got in my own head so much and I had so much grudge towards him [Israel Adesanya] and gripe that I wore myself out. I had so much anger and hate, and I wore myself out. It got tiring being angry at him, and for no real reason. It’s not like he came to my house and stole my TV.”

The vitriol that consumed Robert Whittaker showed in his performance at UFC 243 against 'The Last Stylebender'. He came after Israel Adesanya with tons of aggression, rather than the cerebral approach he usually utilizes. He added:

“You can see how of out of the ordinary I fought [against Israel Adesanya]. How reckless, if you would, how I fought. I guess that’s the biggest regret I would have in that fight. I wish I fought like myself. I’m not satisfied with that.”

In the aftermath, Whittaker was forced to take a hard look at himself in order to rectify what went wrong. The former champion is well aware that the first fight didn't accurately represent him at his best.

Watch Robert Whittaker preview his rematch with Israel Adesanya on The MMA Hour below:

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#1. There's far less pressure on Robert Whittaker going into the rematch

The first fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 holds the UFC record for the highest attendance to this day. The event, which took place at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, had an attendance of 57,127.

A stadium mostly filled with Aussies came to watch Whittaker, the Australian champion, defend his belt. The then-champion clearly felt the pressure of the situation and has since explained why he doesn't miss holding the middleweight title.

Whittaker says he likes the climb as opposed to being on top of the mountain. In the same interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, 'The Reaper' revealed that he feels holding the belt can leave a fighter without a goal and hence, prefers being the one chasing. He said:

"I miss the better pay days. That's about the only thing I miss from [being champion]... I really enjoyed the chase, the work up the ladder. I know there's that whole psychology of guys who get to the top and then find themselves aimless... once I got there, I didn't have the same sort of fire in me. My goals kind of got shifted and I don't think I made the adjustment before I fought Izzy."

Additionally, the rematch will be contested in neutral territory. With UFC 271 set to go down at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Robert Whittaker won't have the same level of pressure placed on his shoulders. He will also likely go into the bout against Israel Adesanya as a sizeable betting underdog, considering the nature of their first fight.

Moreover, Whittaker will be well-rested and injury-free going into the rematch. At just 31 years of age, fans tend to forget how young 'The Reaper' really is. He is just now entering the prime of his career.

Robert Whittaker discusses the lack of pressure going into the rematch with Israel Adesanya

All things considered, the UFC 271 showdown between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker will provide a conclusive answer to the question: Who is the best middleweight fighter in the world?

Can Whittaker draw level in his series with 'The Last Stylebender', or will he lose to the Kiwi again?