Former champion believes lack of motivation is behind Israel Adesanya's poor form.

Adesanya promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

In a run of four consecutive defeats, Israel adesanya He is undoubtedly experiencing the worst moment of his illustrious career. Without a win since 2023, the former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) was knocked out by joe pyfer in the main fight of UFC Seattle and plummeted in the rankings of the category it once reigned over. In this context, Robert whittaker He believes that the Nigerian's bad spell is mainly driven by psychological reasons. He spoke about the subject in an interview with 'Main Event TV' this Wednesday (8).

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According to the Australian, the fact that Izzy has already achieved the greatest glories in the sport may be influencing the Nigerian's approach to fights. The athlete's last victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was precisely in the rematch against his arch-rival. Alex Poatán, when he knocked out the Brazilian in the second round.

“I think he needs to rediscover that hunger. It’s easy to say he might be a little comfortable at the moment. He has money, he’s reached the top of the mountain. He’s done everything, ticked all the boxes. He needs to find that drive to continue what he’s doing, to keep igniting that flame and love for the sport,” he stated.

Robert whittaker believes Israel adesanya needs to find his hunger for the game again after his fourth straight loss

“I think he needs to find that hunger. It's easy to say he may be a little comfortable at the moment. He's got muddy, he's reached the top of the mountain. He's… pic.twitter.com/8qCDS1dnxs

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 8, 2026

Adesanya became the Ultimate champion while still undefeated as an MMA fighter, and defended the middleweight crown (up to 83,9 kg) on ​​five occasions. In total, only Anderson Silva He managed to remain the king of the category for the longest time. He also had the chance to win the double championship in March 2021, but was ultimately surpassed by... Jan Blachowicz.

Whittaker and Adesanya had a rivalry in the UFC.

I. Adesanya (left) has two victories over R. Whittaker (right) in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc

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Whittaker and Adesanya shared the world's most famous octagon twice, both times for the UFC belt. In their first fight, the Nigerian knocked out his rival early in the second round. Years later, he defended his title against his former rival once again, this time by unanimous decision. Despite their rivalry, the two even trained together some time later.

Whittaker and Adesanya in training. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/IsraelAdesanya

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