UFC's Robert Whittaker Says Israel Adesanya Needs To 'Light That Fire'

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker has weighed in on the future of a man he knows very well, "The Last Stylebender" Israel Adesanya. At UFC Fight Night 271, Adesanya lost his fourth straight fight when Joe Pyfer secured the TKO victory in the second round, leading to many fight fans believing that Adesanya's time in the UFC, and Mixed Martial Arts as a whole, might be coming to an end. However, during a recent interview with FOX Sports Australia, Whittaker believes there is a way back for Adesanya.

"I think he needs to find that hunger," Whittaker said. "It's easy to say right? It's just 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? He needs to find that. He needs to find that drive to continue doing what's he doing to continue to light that fire, that hunger, and you know, that love for the game."

Whittaker didn't go as far as someone like Demetrious Johnson, who believes that Adesanya needs to retire sooner rather than later. However, he reiterated that Adesanya needs to reassess why he's still fighting and figure out what he wants to achieve before he does eventually hang up his gloves for good. Whittaker also noted that he liked seeing Adesanya try and pull out a few of his old tricks against Pyfer before he lost, tricks Whittaker knows all too well as he has been beaten twice by Adesanya in his UFC career.

Please credit "FOX News Australia" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.