Robert Whittaker is one of the most likable fighters in the MMA world. He is known to not talk trash about his opponent leading up to the fight and always tries to keep a low profile.
‘The Reaper’ started his MMA journey back in 2009. He made a name for himself in Cage Fighting Championships and was soon signed by the UFC. The New Zealand-born Australian mixed martial artist made his UFC debut on the back of a 9-2 record.
He won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and got the contract. Whittaker was 2-2 in his first four fights in the promotion, but soon became one of the best in the world.
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After his defeat at the hands of Stephen Thompson, he went on a winning spree. He won nine fights in a row and defeated some of the best fighters in the world. Whittaker claimed the UFC middleweight title as well at UFC 213 by beating Yoel Romero.
However, he lost his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243, via a vicious knockout. But since then, he’s bounced right back and is currently on a three-fight win streak. ‘Bobby Knuckles‘ will challenge for the title again in a rematch against Adesanya at UFC 271.
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In the build-up to his fight, the former UFC middleweight champion shared an adorable video on social media.
Throwback to my day 1 pic.twitter.com/NazRFElhUP
— Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) January 2, 2022
In the video, one can see him working on his ground game along with his child. Going into the fight against Adesanya, he looks to be in the right frame of mind and would want to be at his best to reclaim the title.
He’s not making excuses – Israel Adesanya on Robert Whittaker
‘The Last Stylebender‘ is not taking Whittaker’s challenge lightly and is motivated to beat him. In the lead-up to the fight, ‘The Reaper’ accepted the fact Adesanya was in his head.
And the champion appreciates that. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said, “The motivation for me is just, he’s not making excuses like Vettori or Costa. He’s accepted his loss. He finally admitted that I was in his head and he was emotional. So that makes me take him seriously. He’s been training, he’s motivated, that gets me up in the morning.”
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However, according to the champ, he’ll shut Whittaker up once again, and that too, worse than the first time.
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Both men will settle their grudge at UFC 271. Who do you think will come out on top? Let us know in the comments!