Since moving up to middleweight, ‘The Reaper’ has never found himself coming off of back-to-back losses until now.
Robert Whittaker was beaten by Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this past weekend.
The matchup came right down to the wire with an incredibly close fourth round seemingly being the pivotal moment in deciding the split result.
While some fans argued that Whittaker deserved the win more, the fight truly could have gone either way, with media scores also being split right down the middle.
At 34 years old with 35 pro fights under his belt, this defeat led to some questions regarding where the former champion currently stands in the middleweight division.
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Robert Whittaker reflects on his loss to Reinier de Ridder, says it isn’t all negative
Now a few days removed from Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, Robert Whittaker posted a video on social media to share his thoughts on the fight and how he’s feeling in the aftermath.
‘The Reaper’ has always been an incredibly respectful competitor who often appears to be in high spirits shortly after his setbacks.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising to hear Whittaker say that he’s still motivated to correct some mistakes and get back to work in the near future.
“Okay everybody, it’s a couple days since the fight, thought I’d give you all an update. I’m disappointed but I’m not disheartened. There were a lot of things I liked about the fight, there were a lot of things I didn’t, but I’m gonna take it all, head back to the gym, sit with the team, pick it apart and then get back on the horse.”
Whittaker also gave credit to Reinier de Ridder, who massively relied on his strongest skillsets to earn the biggest win of his career to date.
“Congratulations to de Ridder. He had a particular game plan, he executed it well, it got him the win. It is what it is sometimes.”
Robert Whittaker says he wants to return in Australia having not fought there in six years
The final point made by Robert Whittaker in his social media video was about his hopes for a return to the Octagon.
While he didn’t give a time frame or opponent, he did state that he would prefer to have his comeback fight in Australia.
‘The Reaper’ last competed in front of his fans when he suffered a loss to Israel Adesanya in their huge middleweight title fight at UFC 243 in 2019.
“This isn’t the end of Robert Whittaker, this is just another learning curve. Another speed bump. I’m gonna spend some time with my family. Just rest and recover a little bit and then hopefully get back on an Australian card. It’s been a while and honestly, I’m longing for it. It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Australia and I’d love to fight here again. It’s time, but that’s me. Thanks everybody, tuning out.”
The UFC is set to return to Perth in the near future but September 27 would be far too quick of a turnaround for Whittaker, which suggests that he may be waiting until next year.