HOUSTON UFC Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya faced former champ Robert Whittaker for their final match before the rematch at UFC 271..
As they do for the fight week celebrations,
Adesanya kept their differences to a minimum. But Adesanya was no less confident of a second win over Whittaker, declaring, “He won’t win, because I will not lose.”
The staredown is the last time Adesanya will see Whittaker before Adesanya’s fight, which marks Adesanya’s fifth attempt at title defense. In their first encounter, Whittaker defeated Whittaker via knockout. It took place in UFC 243 October 2019.. Since then, Whittaker has won three straight fights, while Adesanya has gone 3-1 with his lone professional MMA loss coming by way of decision in a light heavyweight fight against then-champion Jan Blachowicz.
UFC 271 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston and airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Check out a video of the staredown above.
