Robert Whittaker makes opinion clear as UFC title push fades and trajectory changes

Robert Whittaker no longer speaks like a man chasing a belt. After a decade of operating near the top of the middleweight division, the former champion admits the path back to gold may have slipped away.

Defeats to Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder pushed him further from contention. These losses have left him to rethink what comes next.

That being said, the Australian has chosen a different outlook. Rather than measuring himself against rankings, he is focused on making the most of his final years in the cage.

Speaking in a recent interview with Submission Radio, Whittaker said:

"The belt is like a pipe dream at the moment. After losing to RDR, it's another loss, it pushes me back much further than I want to be from the title... Right now, my trajectory has kind of changed. I've got a few fights left. I want to enjoy the journey, I want to enjoy the fights... I want my family to be a part of that... I'm not shutting any doors, but I do understand the work I've got ahead of me."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (3:40):

Whittaker still intends to fight regularly and knows a few wins could always change the conversation. A return on an Australian card is high on his wish list, which would be his first appearance at home since 2019.

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Robert Whittaker dismisses talk of Caio Borralho fight offer

Robert Whittaker has made it clear that he was never offered a fight against Caio Borralho despite claims suggesting otherwise. The former middleweight champion explained that at no point was Borralho presented as an opponent and that the suggestion he turned down the matchup is inaccurate.

Speaking in the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, he said:

"I just wasn't offered him, you know. Nothing against him. Maybe he's been fed misinformation, but yeah, I was never offered him. Honestly, I've spoken on it a fair bit. I wasn't offered anybody... And then on the back of that, they were just like boom, you want to fight after RDR [Reinier de Ridder who] just beat Bo Nickal, and I was like yeah, I'm looking for a fighter, I'm around. So yeah, no, I was never offered him.