"My ego probably was a big thing" - Robert Whittaker breaks down how Israel Adesanya managed to get inside his head in the build-up to their first fight

Robert Whittaker has given fans an insight into his mental state around the time of his pivotal title loss to now champion Israel Adesanya.

Whittaker captured the interim UFC middleweight belt with a decision win over Yoel Romero in July 2017. He was later promoted to undisputed champion when Georges St-Pierre vacated the title later that year. After a grueling rematch with Romero in June 2018, he took on Adesanya, who was at the time the interim middleweight champion.

The two elite 185lb fighters faced off at UFC 243 in what was billed as one of the highest level fights of all time in the middleweight division. However, Whittaker's gameplan and in-cage decision-making seemed at odds with his normal self. 'The Reaper' was knocked down at the end of round one, before being finished in the second.

Speaking with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie, Whittaker revealed the sort of mental state he was in going into the fight:

"It was a whole host of things. A whole host of different things that got into my own head... as much as I don't want to acknowledge [Adesanya] for insight, it's like, my ego probably was a big thing. Well it was a big part of why my head space wasn't where it should've been for that fight. Why I was letting the debate between Australia and New Zealand get to me. Why I was letting all these little things get to me. And yeah, I guess it showed."

You can check out Robert Whittaker's full interview below:

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Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya 2

At UFC 271, Robert Whittaker will have his chance to level the score with Adesanya. Since the loss at UFC 243, 'The Reaper' has put together a three-fight win streak, defeating Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

The rematch takes place on February 12 in Houston, Texas. Also featured on the card are two other middleweight contenders in Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier, who will likely serve as backup should either Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker drop out.