Psychologist helping Israel Adesanya get an edge ahead of his biggest UFC fight

Ever the swaggerer, Israel Adesanya says he won’t shrink when the lights go on in two weeks for his UFC 243 fight against Robert Whittaker on what will be the biggest stage of his career.

Amidst all the bravado that comes with the build-up to a fight, the Kiwi UFC star revealed that vigilance about his own mental health and regular visits with a psychologist give him what he thinks is an edge.

It has been a quick rise but Adesanya says he’s ready to fight in front of what will be the biggest crowd in UFC history, with more than 56,000 expected to pack out Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.

“It’s been like jump into UFC boom, next fight, next fight ... so I feel like this one is going to be bigger than all of the fights I've had in the UFC put together,” Adesanya said.

To help him get the mental edge, Adesanya has been working with a new psychologist.

“People in my position don't know how to deal with fame or really account for that so I know how to deal with fame and I’m pretty good at being famous,” he said.

“I see a proper psychologist just cause there are other things as well that you have to look after when it comes to your mental health.”

“I’ve seen guys who are the best in the world in the gym and then they get under the lights they crumble, I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it.”

“Who else is going to be my biggest fan apart from myself, who else is going to be my biggest hater apart from myself, learning how to talk to yourself is a key thing in this game, in life in general.”

Inside the octagon, Adesanya was confident that he was the better man than Whittaker in all areas.

“I think my grappling is better than him, I think my striking is better than him ... cause I’ve been active, he hasn’t,” he said.

Whittaker, who was born in New Zealand but represents Australia, hasn't been in the octagon for more than a year due to injury, instead using wrestling in local tournaments to prepare.

“You can try mimic it but there’s no second place, you have to just do the damn thing, so he's going to be in for a shock when he's in his own country and he's going to be feeling all this, you can't fake it.”