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ROBERT WHITTAKER | ALWAYS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Australian Middleweight Standout Discusses His Approach To Fighting, Summer Plans Ahead Of Saudi Arabia Main Event
After exchanging pleasantries and acknowledging the mutual benefits of knocking out an interview ahead of fight week, Robert Whittaker smiled and laughed at my first questions, a reaction that was equal parts human and humble.
“Mate, I don’t feel any different than anybody else,” he said, shaking his head and chuckling. “My kids still stress me out.”
I’d asked Whittaker what it’s like being one of the biggest savages in the UFC, making it clear that the descriptor was delivered with admiration and appreciation for what he’s done over the course of his 12-year, 21-fight run at the sport’s highest level.
“I’ve never really thought about it because it’s not something I’ve built up,” he said in regard to his constant willingness to take on the toughest available opponents and face whatever adversity is placed in front of him head on. “We’re in the fight game. I don’t fight not thinking I’m better than everybody else, so there is no reason for me not to fight everybody else.
“I don’t understand.”
Robert Whittaker vs Ikram Aliskerov | UFC Journey
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Robert Whittaker vs Ikram Aliskerov | UFC Journey
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That logic and lack of understanding how everyone doesn’t approach things that way is actually what makes Whittaker so unique.
In a time when plenty of fighters try to protect their rankings and manicure their resumes by taking mostly favorable matchups, the former middleweight champion and TUF Smashes winner has lived the “anyone, anywhere, anytime” mantra so many are quick to espouse, but not back up.
At every turn, Whittaker has accepted tough assignments — never looking to ease back into things after a layoff or a loss, and constantly “fighting backwards” in the division because there are only ever one or two competitors ahead of him in the middleweight pecking order.
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The eight men he’s faced over his previous 10 fights — Romero and Israel Adesanya twice, plus Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, Marvin Vettori, Dricus Du Plessis, and Paulo Costa — have all fought for or held UFC gold within a couple years of their meetings, combining to take part in 20 championship fights as a group.
When we spoke last week, Whittaker was counting down the days to sharing the Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of the UFC’s inaugural visit to Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It was another fight that fit the initial descriptor that Whittaker didn’t understand or fully identify with: a matchup with an unbeaten rising star that many others have wanted no part of since he blew into the promotion with three wins in 65 days back in 2020.
A few days after we spoke, news broke that Chimaev was forced out of the pairing, with Whittaker quickly accepting a matchup with Ikram Aliskerov this weekend instead. While he hasn’t garnered the same kind of hype as the man he’s replacing, Aliskerov is no slouch either, having earned consecutive first-round stoppage wins in his first two UFC appearances and carrying a 15-1 record into Saturday’s clash with Whittaker; his lone loss coming against Chimaev five years and seven fights ago.
WHITTAKER FULL FIGHTS: Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero 1 | Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa
Though he may not self-identify as a savage or understand why guys like me marvel at his instant acceptance of each and every dangerous assignment laid out before him, one thing Whittaker does recognize and appreciate is his position as the one guy everyone accepts that you’ve got to beat if you really want to prove yourself to be a legitimate title threat in the middleweight division.
Not that he’s content holding down that role for the remainder of his days.
“That is a point of pride for me because it’s something that I didn’t set out to do, but my resume has drafted, has created,” Whittaker said of his standing as the penultimate boss fighters have to beat in their quest for middleweight gold. “I’m proud of my work. I’m proud of the fights that I’ve had and the stage that I’ve set.
Robert Whittaker | Greatest Hits
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Robert Whittaker | Greatest Hits
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“And I’ll tell you right now: I may be the guy everyone wants to beat to get a title shot, but I’m still the guy that is gonna beat a lot of people to get a title shot, to get that belt back,” he added. “I’ve still got things to do.”
Earlier this year, the thing he had to do was get back into the win column, having landed on the wrong side of things in his UFC 290 clash with current champ Dricus Du Plessis last summer during International Fight Week.
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He jumped at the chance to share the Octagon with Paulo Costa in February and pushed through a training camp where “doggedness” was a key focus for every session. He spoke ahead of the contest of wanting to hurt Costa — not to just win the fight, but to make it abundantly clear that he was the superior talent — and he did just that at UFC 298, earning the nod on all three scorecards.
“Definitely satisfied with the level of doggedness,” he said with a smile when asked about the performance. “I think I brought that out in the fight and people saw that in the fight.
“In terms of performance, I think I could have done better; I think maybe there was too much doggedness,” continued Whittaker, laughing. “I was fighting a little too unga bunga, if you know what I mean, but it is what it is.”
That strong effort and coming away from the fight unscathed, save for the usual minor bumps and bruises that are unavoidable, prompted “The Reaper” to seek a relatively quick return to action, something that has mostly eluded him over the course of his career.
Saturday’s meeting with Aliskerov will mark the quickest turnaround Whittaker has had since facing Cannonier three months after dispatching Till during the Fight Island portion of the UFC’s pandemic era.
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Contrary to misinformed beliefs, this is actually how the Australian would prefer his career to go.
“Everyone asks the same question: ‘Big layoff; is this what you like?’” began Whittaker, who has been forced to endure long stretches on the sidelines throughout his career as a result of injuries and fight cancellations. “No, dude! My timeline has always been that I’ll fight when I’m good and healthy, and unfortunately, either I haven’t been healthy or my opponent hasn’t.
“So this is one of those things where I was healthy, I was ready for another one; perfect timing,” he added. “Like I said, I’ve got a lot of kids, I’ve got bills to pay, so let’s just run it straight away.”
Along with having mouths to feed and bills to pay, hustling straight back into camp means that the early days of camp are much more enjoyable for Whittaker, as he’s not working back from an unfavorable position.
“The start of this camp is so much better because I’m not a fat slob,” he said, his laughter chasing his words like they were on a tether. “I haven’t lost all my cardio and strength from the last fight. The start of the camp after a long layoff is brutal because I’m fat, I’m gassing; it takes so long to build that resilience and cardio and strength and tenacity back. It’s a pain, whereas with this, I’ve just built off the last one, so I’m at an even higher level than I was the last one.
“But in saying that, after this fight, I’m gonna do just that!” he added, the smile still not having left his face.
Despite the UFC heading to Perth in two months’ time, Whittaker will be headed on holiday with his family, rather than heading right back into camp, and indulging in his favorite food-related pastime.
“I think we’re gonna stay in the country because we’ve still got the young baby, and the idea of putting five kids on a 14-hour flight is nuts. So it’ll be in-country, but going away, eating too much.
“It’s not a particular food — I’m very much ‘flavors of the month,’ where whatever I feel like, I feel like,” clarified the former middleweight champion when asked about in-camp cravings and out-of-camp favorites. “But what I miss doing is that I’m a notorious nighttime snacker.
“I love going into bed at night and surrounding myself with snacks, watching TV, in bed. It’s my favorite thing. It’s my happy spot.”
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Before getting there, he has to get through Aliskerov and back to another of his “happy places” — standing in the center of the Octagon, with his arms raised in victory.
Looking back at the Costa fight, Whittaker admitted that some of the vitriol and ferocity he expressed before and carried into the matchup stemmed from his previous appearance against Du Plessis. This time around, he arrives off another quality win, and believes getting things moving in the right direction will help him dial back the “doggedness” a little this time around as he goes in search of a second straight win.
Because at the end of the day, winning is the only thing that matters.
“Winning is everything in this sport,” Whittaker offered. “Losing and how you take the losses, what you do with them is important — being able to take a loss is important — but winning is everything, and I guess that’s why this sport can be so harsh sometimes.
“Winning pushes you forward. Winning justifies everything you sacrifice. Winning validates everything you’ve worked on. It’s the result everybody wants.
“(Fighting) never gets easier — and that’s one of the things about the sport — but I know what I can do, I know the people that I’ve beaten, and I know that I can beat this guy, too.”
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When he said it, “this guy” meant Chimaev, but it applies to Aliskerov all the same, just as it does everyone else the UFC could have stationed opposite Whittaker on Saturday, because no matter the opponent, regardless of the circumstances, “The Reaper” is always ready to take on the next challenge.
“This is what I do and what I was born to do; it’s my career, it’s my passion,” he said.
It’s also what makes Robert Whittaker an absolute savage.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Aliskerov took place live from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on June 22, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
