In the main event of last night’s UFC on ESPN 14 Robert Whittaker improved his record to 26-5 after out-pointing Darren Till in a technical, back-and-forth affair.
The unanimous decision win was the Aussie-Kiwi’s first victory since his title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 last October.
At his post-fight press conference ‘The Reaper’ said last night was evidence of his caliber as a fighter. And that caliber, Whittaker argued, should never have been questioned despite the lopsided loss he took to the current 185 lb champ.
“Honestly, I am championship level,” Whittaker stressed (per MMAFighting). “Everyone can see that. Everyone’s always known that. I wasn’t myself last fight. I believe that. Not to take anything away [from Israel Adesanya], he’s a great striker, but I wasn’t myself last fight. I think this is a good win.”
Fresh off beating the top ranked Till, Whittaker said he is now focused on rematching Adesanya and reclaiming the UFC middleweight championship.
“I’m ready for a championship fight right now,” he said. “Whenever. Tomorrow. Last night. It doesn’t matter. I’m championship level. I displayed that tonight.
“That’s just the level I’m at. I’m already ready for a championship title shot. That’s just me.”
Whittaker entered the UFC in 2012 through The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, which he won as a welterweight. After an inconsistent run at 170 lbs, Whittaker moved up to the middleweight division in 2014.
At 185 lbs he went on a tear, winning seven in a row to set-up an interim title fight with Yoel Romero at UFC 213 in 2017. Whittaker won that bout, via unanimous decision, to earn the temporary belt. He beat Romero in an immediate non-title rematch, by split decision, and then had his interim title converted to the real McCoy.
His first defense was against Adesanya at UFC 243.