Robert Whittaker believes Israel Adesanya needs to reignite his competitive fire after a tough skid that most recently saw him finished by Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 271.
Adesanya, a former two-time UFC middleweight champion, has now dropped four straight fights. Whittaker, who has recently trained with Adesanya to help him prepare for the matchup with Pyfer, thinks the key for the ex-champ is mental.
"I think he needs to find that hunger," Whittaker said. "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?"
Whittaker added that this rough stretch could still be a turning point for Adesanya. "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."
Despite his own back-to-back losses to Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder and plans to move to light heavyweight, Whittaker remains firmly in Adesanya’s corner. "If he wants to press on, I'm 100 percent with him," he said. "I love working with him, and I'd love to see his journey continue. I'd love to see him get back up there."
