Two and a half years after losing his world championship, Robert Whittaker‘s road back to the top will end in Houston, when he gets his rematch against Israel Adesanya.
Nobody knows how things are going to pan out when the two get their hands on one another in February, but one thing is for sure; this isn’t the same Robert Whittaker.
“The amount of changes inside the octagon, but primarily outside the octagon as a man and as a person, it’s night and day,” he told Wide World of Sports.
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Whittaker spoke about “getting in his own head” ahead of that loss at UFC 255; the hyping up of the fight, in the sense that many were billing it as ‘Australia vs New Zealand’ didn’t sit well with him.
“It’s hard to explain – I was disappointed that the media was trying to sell the fight in a way that I didn’t necessarily agree with,” he said.
“I’m a completely different person now to what I was then. I’m very content, I know what I’m doing and why I do it – and going into this next fight with that sort of headspace and that sort of confidence in myself gives me a lot of satisfaction.”
Whittaker said that loss – which cost him his middleweight title – was key in his own reinvention.
“The loss to Izzy (Adesanya) was the catalyst for me to take some time away from the game, do a little soul-searching and find those reasons why,” he said.
“From there, once things started moving, keeping going was just a natural thing. So now I’m just always introspective, looking at what I’m doing, why I’m doing things and just enjoying the journey.”
He says he tried meditation, but it didn’t take. The key has been juggling the important things.
“I don’t like meditating, it stresses me out more than anything else,” he laughs. “Kids, family, games, free time, work – I’ve just found a nice balance across the board.”
The balance includes working at his new, top-of-the-line facility in Smeaton Grange – something he says means as much to him as his in-ring success.
“The gym is absolutely amazing, the feedback from the members and seeing the classes and how happy everyone is with the space and facilities,” he said.
“It fills me with a lot of pride – it’s something that I can leave down to my kids, it’s with me now, and can keep building up after I’m done fighting.”
Whittaker has rattled off three impressive victories since that loss against Adesanya, which remains the only defeat in 12 bouts at middleweight for the 30-year-old.
“I’m pumped to get the rematch, it’s always something that you aim towards but honestly, it’s not something I was pedantically trying to achieve,” he said.
“I was enjoying the process, I fight for a living and I was still fighting, so it is what it is.
“Adesanya’s a phenomenal fighter, I’ll give him that. But he’s not unbeatable – and in my next fight, I think I can do this. I have the skill set to do it.”
Both men would have liked the rematch to take place in Australia or New Zealand but in a post-COVID world, that was never really an option.
Whittaker says it will be business as usual in terms of his travel and preparation.
“I’m not too worried about it, it looks like things are starting to shape up for the better. I’ll deal with any obstacles that arise as they come, you’ve got to be flexible.”
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