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Robert Whittaker now has two big victories following his title loss to Israel Adesanya in 2019. While he didn't have too much luck as the UFC Middleweight Champion, he seems to be enjoying life without the title.
Robert Whittaker took a good deal of time away from the Octagon and stepped back in at the end of July to defeat Darren Till by unanimous decision. This set him up for an immediate clash against Jared Cannonier at UFC 254, where he thoroughly dominated The Killa' Gorilla to another decision victory.
Since Israel Adesanya originally stated that he wanted to fight Jared Cannonier in his next title defense, it was automatically assumed that the UFC 254 co-main event would be to determine The Last Stylebender's next title challenger.
Since Robert Whittaker won, Dana White stated that he liked the idea of running back a rematch between the Australian and Israel Adesanya for the Middleweight Championship.
With that said, Ariel Helwani of ESPN asked Robert Whittaker on his MMA show about why he hasn't been too vocal about wanting a rematch with Israel Adesanya. Robert Whittaker explained that he isn't worried about chasing a title shot because he knows it's going to come eventually:
"The thing is, it will happen. It's not something that I need to chase because I know it's going to happen. That's why after I lost to Izzy [Israel Adesanya] I wasn't roaring for a rematch because I knew that if I beat the guys they put in front of me, I'll get there eventually. I want to run that fight back with Izzy, but I'm in no rush. I'm not going anywhere. I know he's doing some things."
Robert Whittaker's healthy approach
Robert Whittaker's first ascent to the UFC Middleweight division came in the same way he mentioned above - by beating the guys they put in front of him. As he mentioned, even when he lost the title the first time, Robert Whittaker never actively campaigned for a title shot.
His approach has made him popular among UFC fans and it's likely only a matter of time before we see him clash horns with Israel Adesanya again.
