'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Israel Adesanya advised Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa to try and alleviate the pain after their recent UFC 298 fight. The duo employed heavy leg-kicking attacks and the damage visibly impacted their movement as the fight progressed.
Adesanya was embroiled in fierce competitive rivalries with Whittaker and Costa and beat both men. It is possible that ‘The Last Stylebender’ might cross paths with them again now that all three of them are working their way up to the title shot.
Whittaker outpointed Costa at UFC 298 to earn a unanimous decision win. But the back-and-forth contest saw them both absorb a considerable amount of damage. Adesanya, who was a curious observer, took to X after the fight was over and advised:
Trending
“Hear me out… Post-fight ice baths. Right after doctor's check-up.”
Adesanya was the UFC middleweight champion from 2019 to 2023. Barring the knockout loss to Alex Pereira in their first MMA fight, the 34-year-old dominated most of the opponents. Whittaker, whom Adesanya defeated via knockout to become the undisputed champion at UFC 243, had a closely contested rematch with him at UFC 271.
It was expected that Whittaker’s potential win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 would set up the highly anticipated trilogy fight. However, Du Plessis and Strickland’s triumph over Whittaker and Adesanya, respectively, changed the course of the division.
‘The Reaper’ said that he felt a win over Costa could open a lot of opportunities for him, including the trilogy fight against Adesanya. Meanwhile, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has taken an extended break from competition after losing the 185-pound title against Strickland in September 2023.
Recent updates suggest that he might be gearing up for a comeback. Adesanya’s name was proposed for headlining the milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view event scheduled for April 12, 2024. However, UFC CEO Dana White recently ended the speculation by announcing a massive main event for the card.
