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Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker promised fans that his best days are still ahead of him while reacting to news that he is now the longest-tentured fighter to come from Australia or New Zealand in the UFC. 'The Reaper' was also the first UFC champion in history from one of the oceanic countries.
Robert Whittaker made his UFC debut in 2013. Initially fighting at welterweight, Whittaker made the move to middleweight after mixed results left him 3-2 in the octagon.
Since making the move up a division in 2014, Whittaker has only lost twice. Both defeats came to current champion Israel Adesanya. Discussing his success, the Australian wrote on Twitter:
"Literally changed my life, I've been blessed to have been given a platform to show the world what I can do. I've reached the pinnacle of the sport and the best is still to come"
A one-time interim and undisputed middleweight champion, Whittaker remains the No.1-ranked middleweight and sits at No.13 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Despite coming up short against 'The Last Stylebender' twice, 'The Reaper' is still widely regarded as one of the most elite fighters in the UFC.
Whittaker's current standing in the middleweight division is a headscratcher. He has beaten almost everybody except for reigning titleholder Israel Adesanya. 'The Reaper' even has a victory over Jared Cannonier, who Adesanya is defending the belt against next.
Whittaker was due to face Italian Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 in June, but an undisclosed injury forced the Australian to withdraw.
Robert Whittaker believes it was respectful to withdraw from fight with Marvin Vettori
Robert Whittaker recently backed his decision to withdraw from his bout with Marvin Vettori. The Aussie admitted that the decision was tough to make, as he knew fans would be disappointed. However, he knew that he'd need to be at his best to fight 'The Italian Dream'.
Speaking during an appearance on Submission Radio, Whittaker said:
"It's not like Vettori's a chump. I would think it's like the ultimate show of respect that I don't want to fight Vettori at anything less than 100%. He's only lost to the same dude I have. He's top of the food chain."
Catch the full interview below:
Despite calls from Vettori and fans, Whittaker has continued to keep his injury undisclosed. The former champion believes there is no sense in mentioning the details of the injury because fighters could look to target it in the future.
While there has been no official rematch date set, fans can still expect to see the two middleweights fight in 2022. Whittaker recently posted on social media, calling for the fight with Vettori to take place in Paris.
The UFC will make its French debut in September 2022, and it seems that Whittaker vs. Vettori could serve as the co-main event.
