Athletes
Robert Whittaker Has Been Here Before
Former Champion Robert Whittaker Believes Hard Work And Experience Will Make The Difference Against The Surging Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez
Robert Whittaker is not one who enjoys sitting and waiting for a fight (unless it’s around Christmas time). The former middleweight champ is still determined and keen on recapturing his belt, which means bolstering his resume and leaving no other contenders for the division’s current king, Israel Adesanya. That task is a little tougher for “The Reaper” than others because he has already dropped two fights to “The Last Stylebender,” but the New Zealand-born Aussie hasn’t been deterred.
Between the two Anzacs, the weight class isn’t exactly overflowing with obvious title challengers, so when a guy like Dricus Du Plessis comes to the roster and goes on a five-fight winning streak featuring four finishes, they have the chance to climb the ladder quickly. That also means he’s a guy who Whittaker can use to fortify his case for a third fight against Adesanya, so when Whittaker’s scheduled fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 282 fell through, he made sure to get in touch with the matchmakers.
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“I made the call to fight Dricus,” Whittaker told UFC.com. “I wanted a fight, so I said, ‘Who's available? Who's free?’ Dricus put his hand up, and the rest is history.”
Du Plessis’ rise has been a quick one since arriving to the promotion in 2020. Back-to-back wins over Darren Till and Derek Brunson put him on the title picture’s map, as well as the fact that all but one of his wins have come via finish.
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The South African has also already gotten into some back-and-forth with Adesanya through various interviews, press conferences and social media posts. As is usually the case with a Whittaker fight, his opponent has clear stakes in front of him: beat Whittaker, and the title shot is next.
Whittaker’s familiarity with the situation, combined with his 11 years on the roster, gives him a solid platform on which to stand prepared. Du Plessis’ fights have all come with a thrilling amount of back-and-forth, with supporters lauding his grit and power, while the critics point to the roughness around his edges. To Whittaker, the latter point makes him all the more threatening.
“‘Green’ is dangerous because he doesn't know what to watch out for,” Whittaker said. “He's got that aura of invincibility on him, and he's going to this fight as an underdog with absolutely nothing to lose. That is a dangerous combination. I need to respect that, and I have been, and I've been training like a mad man because of it. I look forward to crossing paths with him on the weekend.”
Of the many traits on which you can compliment Whittaker, his composure in big fights is among the most prominent. Other than his admittedly disappointing performance against Adesanya in their first fight, Whittaker consistently steps up to the spotlight and delivers.
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That comfortability in these high-stakes fights is crucial and clear, and it will once again be a factor to watch in Las Vegas. At just 32 years old, Whittaker has spent more time in the UFC than Du Plessis has as a professional mixed martial artist.
“You can see the experience start to show its head every fight,” Whittaker said. Every fight, my level is getting better. Every fight is looking better for me, and I don't plan to stop. That experience is definitely very prevalent in fighting, in combat sports. I get it. I hope that the experience would start to show itself after 11 years in the UFC.”
Robert Whittaker | Greatest Hits
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Robert Whittaker | Greatest Hits
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The walk will be Whittaker’s first since he defeated Marvin Vettori via decision in September 2022. Given that lack of activity, Whittaker is eyeing a statement-making performance on July 8. Not that anyone needs reminding of his quality, but Whittaker does have a good laugh about the fact that he hasn’t finished someone since his TKO win over Jacare Souza in 2017, despite his best efforts.
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That’s the rub when it comes to fighting the best for as long as he has, though. The opponents are better, which means they’re also just harder to finish, especially given the granite-chinned crop at the top of the middleweight division. Regardless, Bobby Knuckles is keen on making this fight his best performance yet.
“I've had such a long layoff in between fights that I've been able to better my skill sets, I believe, by a decent chunk,” he said. “The theme of the camp has just been ‘hard work.’ He will not beat us with (my) hard work and the rest. May the best man win.”
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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