Israel Adesanya Believes He’ll Meet Robert Whittaker Again Some Day

Israel Adesanya wouldn’t be surprised if he faces Robert Whittaker in a rematch down the line.

This past Saturday night (Oct. 5), Adesanya went one-on-one with Whittaker for the undisputed UFC middleweight championship. Adesanya went into the bout as the interim title holder, while Whittaker was recognized as the 185-pound ruler. Adesanya left no doubt in regards to who rules the middleweight roost as he stopped Whittaker via second-round TKO.

Speaking to reporters during the UFC 243 post-fight press conference, Adesanya said he feels Whittaker isn’t too far off from a rematch.

“I told him in the Octagon I’d see him again,” he said before explaining he shared a motivational slogan he had used throughout fight camp to help pick up his fallen opponent at the end of the contest.

“I told him, ‘I’m greater than I think I am, and so are you,’” he said. “And I said I’ll see him again, definitely. He’ll definitely work his way up, and he said, ‘Probably in two fights, I’ll see you again.’”

Adesanya appears destined to defend his title against Paulo Costa next. Costa was in the crowd and witnessed Adesanya’s undisputed title win. “The Last Stylebender” called Costa an “inflated balloon animal” during his post-fight speech.