Robert Whittaker Calls Out ‘Low-Skilled’ Trash Talker Sean Strickland for Next UFC Bout
Robert Whittaker is tired of hearing Sean Strickland run his mouth.
‘The Reaper’ suffered a quick first-round submission loss in his last outing, snapping a two-fight win streak and putting him a little further away from earning another shot at the middleweight title.
With Strickland recently coming up short in his championship rematch against Dricus Du Plessis, Whittaker likes the idea of throwing hands with ‘Tarzan’ this summer.
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Whittaker lambasted Strickland’s special brand of trash talk, suggesting that the ex-titleholder is getting a little lazy when it comes to slamming other fighters verbally.
“I feel like trash talk has lost its skill—its finesse, you know what I mean? I feel like there used to be more skill involved, more thought involved, more finesse involved, you know? Whereas now, he’s kind of just… he’s just saying anything that comes to mind,” Whittaker said. “It’s crude. It doesn’t—it doesn’t pair well with everything.”
Robert Whittaker believes a fight with Strickland makes sense right now
Strickland’s lazy trash-talking aside, Whittaker thinks a fight between the two of them makes a lot of sense.
“I feel like we’ve both been in that top sort of the pond for a while circling each other,” Whittaker told Anthony Smith. “I feel like for whatever reason we haven’t been matched up, but we’ve both been in proximity for a while. It’s most likely the fight to make. I’m excited by that fight. I look at his style and I find it curious, I find it exciting to try and work out. He’s a tough dude, but I’m really proud in my skill set and confident in my skill set.”
Whittaker currently sits as the fifth-ranked contender in the middleweight division while Strickland slipped to No. 2 following his loss to ‘DDP’ in Sydney.
Chances are, a win won’t result in either of them receiving another title opportunity anytime soon with Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov’s recent success, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction.
