Lewis into cage for Whittaker
JOHNNY Lewis has never er been real big on the whole e UFC thing.
At 77, calls himself too o old school. “And when n you’ve got both fighters rs laying on the ground – doesn’t excite me,” he shrugs. ugs.
Yet just recently, our nation’s greatest fight coach has been disappearing inside Octagons. Specifically, watching old fight tape of Robert Whittaker.
Which has also meant viewing Israel Adesanya. That outspoken New Zealand star who, in 2019, not only took the Sydneysider’s middleweight crown via devastating KO, but is now gunning to double down in their hyped UFC 271 rematch next Sunday.
Hired by Whittaker, Lewis has been tasked with not only identifying the challenger’s mistakes from fight one, and then rectifying the problems, but also breaking down that rangy Aucklander likened to no less than Neo of Matrix fame.
“And if Rob hits him just right,” the trainer says softly, “I believe he’ll knock him out”.