"I beat him to every punch" - Robert Whittaker says Israel Adesanya "didn't land anything" in UFC 271 fight except in first round

Robert Whittaker challenged Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 271. Despite his best efforts, Whittaker came up on the short side of a unanimous decision win, suffering his second loss against 'The Last Stylebender'.

However, 'The Reaper' believes he did enough to get his hand raised. While Whittaker commended Adesanya on his skillset, he also believes the champion looked beatable.

'The Reaper' went on to claim that he did not suffer any serious damage barring a knockdown in the very first round.

Speaking to reporters during the post-fight conference, Whittaker said:

"Nah, I wasn't really surprised too much. He is a good fighter. Like props to the dude, he's a very good fighter. Honestly, I didn't see anybody else getting close to beating him. He's a phenomenal fighter. He's got good eyes, he's got good timing. And his physical makeup just make him dangerous, you know what I mean. He's been gifted with a good set. But honestly, I thought he looked very beatable. I thought I beat him. I thought I did enough, I got inside his reach, I beat him to every punch, beat him every time. He didn't land anything that really hurt me but that one shot in the first [round]."

Watch Robert Whittaker's interview at the UFC 271 post-fight scrum below:

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Israel Adesanya shuts down Robert Whittaker

Israel Adesanya slammed Robert Whittaker for claiming he won the fight. According to 'The Last Stylebender', a shower and a little reflection would help Whittaker accept his defeat.

Speaking to the media during the post-fight conference, Adesanya made the following statement:

"He did not win that fight, and he knows it. He needs to go have a shower as well and reflect and realize that's not true. ... You don't do 'enough' to win the title. You take the belt. That's how this works. We're just two guys trying to be the best in the world. Tonight, I was the best in the world."

Watch Israel Adesanya's appearance at the UFC 271 post-fight press conference below:

Judges Jacob Montalvo and Doug Crosby scored the first three rounds in favor of Adesanya and the championship rounds in favor of Whittaker. Meanwhile, judge Mike Beltran scored every round in favor of Adesanya except for the second.

Undoubtedly, a trilogy fight between Adesanya and Whittaker is inevitable. However, according to UFC president Dana White, Jared Cannonier will be next in line for a shot at the title.

This comes after 'The Killa Gorilla' managed to record an emphatic second-round knockout victory against UFC veteran Derek Brunson on the very same card.