Robert Whittaker Sends Message To Fans Following Defeat To Israel Adesanya
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker continues to take his defeat with grace.
Whittaker lost his title following a second-round knockout defeat to Israel Adesanya in the UFC 243 headliner last night in Melbourne. After the fight, Whittaker offered no excuses and didn’t even demand a rematch — instead, he said he would be back and meet Adesanya after a fight or two.
He would then send a message to all his fans around the world in a Twitter post:
“I just want to say thank you for all the love and support I have felt from everybody, it honestly makes me love what I do,” Whittaker wrote as the caption. “Tonight just wasn’t my night, it happens but I’ll just come back stronger. I always do.”
“Thanks to the fans for tuning in,” he added in a video. “I’m a little disappointed to say the least. It is what it is. Two of the best fighters in the world went in there, butted heads and I got clipped. Honestly, I’m disappointed but it’s not the end of the world. I’m not going anywhere. I’m one of the best fighters in the world. This is where I belong. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt great.
“…’Could you have done anything different?’ No. Tonight, I went out there and I did it like that. Sometimes you lose and it happens and it’s sh*t. It’s not just in fighting, it’s in everything. Sometimes, it f*cking rains on you. But keep your head up, keep working.”
Whittaker is right — it’s not the end of the world and he is still just 28. A win or two could see him get another chance at regaining his title. While he might not be champion anymore, he is certainly handling his first setback at middleweight like one.
What did you think of Whittaker’s reaction?
