Israel Adesanya praises UFC rival Robert Whittaker for being ‘open and vulnerable’ about mental health

Adesanya has mocked his old foe in recent years but offered empathy ahead of their rematch this month

Robert Whittaker before his UFC 243 defeat by Israel Adesanya (Getty Images)

Israel Adesanya has praised rival Robert Whittaker for being “open and vulnerable” about his mental health ahead of their rematch at UFC 271.

Adesanya secured a TKO victory over Whittaker in Melbourne in 2019, taking the UFC middleweight title from the Australian in the headline bout of the most highly-attended event in the promotion’s history.

Whittaker has since won three fights in a row to set up a rematch with the Nigerian-born New Zealander in another main-event clash this month.

Prior to his defeat by Adesanya, Whittaker admitted that he had been dealing with depression for many years. After the fight, the 31-year-old also opened up about experiencing burnout.

“I haven’t heard too much about it, but yeah, good on him for being open and vulnerable,” Adesanya told The Independent in an exclusive interview this week.

In a rare moment of empathy for his rival, whom he has mocked for the best part of three years, Adesanya continued: “That’s what makes you strong: being vulnerable. I know this because I do this all the time, I’m super vulnerable with my emotions – on-camera, off-camera.

“So yeah, good on him for bringing that to the forefront. It’s the first step, I guess, in getting over it or learning how to deal with it and manage it.

“Accepting it and sharing it kind of gives other people permission to do the same.”

Israel Adesanya (right) evades a punch from Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 (Getty Images)

Since beating Whittaker to become UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya has successfully defended the belt three times – most recently against old foe Marvin Vettori.

Prior to that match-up in June, Adesanya experienced the first loss of his professional MMA career as he was outpointed by then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in March.

Whittaker, meanwhile, has earned decision wins against contenders Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum since losing the title to Adesanya.

UFC 271 will take place on 12 February in Houston, Texas.

Israel Adesanya is an ambassador for Stake.com, one of the leading and fastest-growing cryptocurrency betting and gaming operators worldwide.