Robert Whittaker explains why he really wants to fight Israel Adesanya again after UFC 287: “I’m never gonna stop hunting him”

Robert Whittaker has explained why he’s hungry to go after Israel Adesanya and secure a third fight against him.

Last weekend at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya finally got his revenge on Alex Pereira. After years of trying, he was able to knock the Brazilian out, reclaiming his UFC middleweight championship in the process.

Now, as is so often the case, the attention turns toward what he’ll do next. There are plenty of contenders lining up to try and take him on and that, unsurprisingly, includes Robert Whittaker.

Bobby Knuckles is 12-2 in the UFC’s middleweight division and a former champion, but both of his defeats have come courtesy of Adesanya. In a recent interview, Whittaker revealed his desire to pursue a trilogy with ‘Stylebender’.

“I want to take the belt off Izzy,” Whittaker said. “That might’ve not been a thing [before UFC 287] that I wanted to fight Izzy… people ask me ‘How bad do you want to fight Israel? Do you want to just fight for the belt?’, and I’ve always said I don’t really care. Now, I really care. I do care, I want to fight Izzy for the belt and I want to take the belt off of Izzy, that’s what I want to do.

“I do have a lot of respect for his skillset…but I know it’s a puzzle I can work out. The challenge of trying to beat him, of trying to get back the belt from him, it’s a driving force for me. I’m never gonna stop hunting him, ever. That’s just what I want to do, and until I get that W back from him, that’s what I want.”