Robert Whittaker: 10 Rounds With A Monster Couldn’t Put Me Away

It’s no secret UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been through some wars.

The rising pound-for-pound force has only fought twice since July 2017. Both match-ups were five-round wars against feared title challenger Yoel Romero. Despite ‘The Soldier of God’s’ reputation as a sort of MMA boogeyman, Whittaker won both fights by decision. He didn’t emerge unscathed, of course, with the titleholder requiring multiple operations for injuries sustained against the Cuban powerhouse.

That has some wondering if he can fight to his full potential heading into his main event bout against Kelvin Gastelum at this weekend’s UFC 234 from Melbourne. But for those questioning him, Whittkaer told the media at the UFC 234 open wokrouts today that he went 10 rounds of Romero’s best and emerged on top (via MMAjunkie):

“I feel they should be worried, but for other reasons. I feel that Yoel gave me his best in 10 rounds and couldn’t put me away, I went 10 rounds with a monster. No one else has.”

Another Lofty Challenge

It’s a fair point from the aptly-named ‘Bobby Knuckles,’ who has somewhat quietly been one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC the past three years. He reigns as the 185-pound champion and is selling out arenas in his native Australia. The fact he isn’t necessarily a mainstream star may be because of his relative inactivity. It could be because of his resistance to trash talk as well.

Perhaps another highlight reel win over Gastelum this weekend will help him attain that position. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner may be a much different fighter than the frightening Romero, but Whittaker doesn’t think it’s a step down:

“It’s definitely not a step down. I respect his abilities. He’s a dangerous fighter. He’s going to come in there hungry, with nothing to lose. That’s one of the most dangerous combinations. I’m giving him the respect he deserves. It is refreshing to have a different opponent other than Yoel, but, you know, here we are.”

‘The Reaper’ admitted Gastelum has some solid wins under his belt. Add those to his dangerous skillset, and he thinks the fight is as even as they get:

“He’s beaten some big names,” Whittaker said of Gastelum. “He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s tough. He hits like a truck. He’s got good, well-rounded skillsets, so I think we go in there very, very, very even.”

No matter what happens, Whittaker is thankful for the ability to fight near his home. Whittaker has wanted to headline a card in Australia for quite a while, and his chance fell apart last year. He’s back the next year, and it’s a special moment for him. He voiced his excitement for the opportunity few MMA fighters achieve:

“It’s a very special moment,” Whittaker said. “I think the biggest thing is that I’ve missed home. I’ve wanted to fight here for a long time. To be able to come home and defend my belt, have, well, I guess in my career one of the biggest fights to date, it’s pretty unreal.”