Robert Whittaker says Israel Adesanya needs to find a way to reignite his passion amid his skid.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) dropped his fourth straight fight when he was finished by Joe Pyfer last month at UFC Fight Night 271. While Adesanya still looks competitive, he is now starting to lose to the newer crop of fighters in the division.
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Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) wants his former foe to reassess everything.
“I think he needs to find that hunger,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “It’s easy to say he may be a little comfortable at the moment. He’s got money, he’s reached the top of the mountain, he’s done everything. He’s ticked every box. What is there he needs to achieve anymore?
“He needs to find that drive to continue doing what he’s doing, to continue to light that fire, that hunger, that love for the game. I don’t think it was a bad thing. We all learn from our losses, and I think this is a good point for him to just make those decisions and work out where he needs to go and what he wants to do.”
Also a former UFC champion, Whittaker will look to prevent himself from falling into similar territory by seeking new life at light heavyweight. Whittaker is coming off back-to-back losses to current middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder. He recently spent time training with Adesanya to help him prep for his fight against Pyfer.
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“If he wants to press on, I’m 100 percent with him,” Whittaker said of Adesanya. “I love working with him, and I’d love to see his journey continue. I’d love to see him get back up there.”
