Israel Adesanya admits wrong to question UFC rival’s legacy: ‘It was very stupid and it was wrong’

Israel Adesanya has candidly admitted that he was wrong to question the legacy of his UFC rival, Robert Whittaker.

Whittaker was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia as a child and has a Maori mother, but Adesanya previously referred to the former champion as a ‘mozzie’ – a Maori Australian – during their heated rivalry.

Adesanya herself was born in Nigeria and raised in New Zealand, proudly representing both nations.

With the Last Stylebender’s latest rivalry with Dricus du Plessis clouded by a racially charged narrative – in which both argue about their African heritage – Adesanya pondered the term he had directed at Whittaker, admitting he was wrong.

“Funnily enough, someone pointed out to me that I did the same thing to Rob,” Adesanya said on The Halfcast Podcast. And I was like, “Right, I did, because I called him a mozzie.”

“I was like, ‘F***, they’re right.’ But guess what? I was wrong. That’s called growth. I have learned.

“I realized that – what’s this, a black man, saying to this goddamn Maori, ‘No, you don’t do real Kiwi because you live in Australia.’

‘That is stupid. So again, this is called growth.’

Du Plessis has claimed that Adesanya is not a true African UFC champion because he no longer lives in Africa. The reigning title holder admitted that his use of the same argument against Whittaker was illogical.

“I can admit I was wrong. I messed up then, but you learn. So I would never say that to Rob again because who am I to try and take away his heritage? That’s damn stupid.

“I wasn’t even born here (New Zealand) but I claim to be from here because this is where my fighting history comes from.

‘But that I had to tell Rob, that was very stupid and wrong. So I shouldn’t have done that – but you learn that.’