Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker is determined to leverage his recent defeat against Dricus du Plessis as fuel to improve and is confident he can beat du Plessis if he maintains a healthier mindset, expressing a desire to fight and defeat a top-five opponent to reclaim his championship.
It has been over two months since Robert Whittaker suffered a shocking loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290. Despite the passage of time, Whittaker, the former champion, has not yet forgotten that night. He confessed his frustration over the event during a recent interview on The MMA Hour. Whittaker feels his performance failed to reflect his usual fighting spirit and he has been using this as motivation to improve. Determined to not let the loss diminish his passion, he has recommitted himself to rigorous training with a determination to reach new levels of performance.
During UFC 290, Whittaker, who had an exceptional 12-0 record as a UFC middleweight, was considered a heavy favorite to defeat du Plessis. This would have secured him a third opportunity to challenge the former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Unexpectedly, du Plessis managed to defeat Whittaker in less than two rounds. Whittaker explained that he did not feel focused on the fight, which according to him was not like him. For him, giving his all in a fight, even if he falls short, is more important than winning or losing. And he felt he did not manage to do that at UFC 290, which weighs on him more than the loss.
Despite the setback, Whittaker remains confident that the outcome could have been different had he been in a better mindset. He knows he had the ability to defeat du Plessis, but feels he wasn’t able to present himself at his best. This disappointment, rather than making him disheartened, is propelling his drive to train harder. He returned to the gym sooner than ever before and has been training intensely, not just because he feels he need to, but because he wants to. He believes this loss was a necessary learning experience that would make him a better fighter.
Following Sean Strickland‘s defeat of Adesanya at UFC 293, the UFC middleweight division is now wide open and Whittaker finds himself ready to fight for the title again. Aware of the fact that he will need one or two more victories to challenge for the belt again, he is eager to fight top-ranking fighters. The loss to du Plessis has solidified his goal to reclaim the championship belt, and he’s excited to prove himself in the ring again.