Robert Whittaker OK with Israel Adesanya wanting Darren Till, focused on Kelvin Gastelum

Robert Whittaker knows he’s earned another crack at the UFC middleweight championship, but he understands that the situation is out of his hands.

Since losing the title to Israel Adesanya October 2019, Whittaker (22-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) has scored back-to-back wins over top contenders Darren Till and Jared Cannonier to reposition himself at the top of the 185-pound heap. But instead of getting his title fight rematch against Adesanya (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC, Whittaker was matched up with former title challenger Paulo Costa to headline UFC on ESPN 22 on April 17, while Adesanya moved up to challenge – and lose to – light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.

The stars might’ve been able to align for Whittaker to get his title rematch after Costa withdrew, but instead Whittaker now will face Kelvin Gastelum. A win over Gastelum should cement Whittaker as the No. 1 contender, but there’s one issue:Adesanya seems to be eyeing a fresh matchup in Till, who’s booked to fight Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ABC 2 main event one week before Whittaker competes.

While it’s a frustrating situation for Whittaker to be in, he’s not losing any sleep over it.

“Yeah, it is what it is,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “All the power’s in Adesanya’s hands at the moment. So, it is what it is. I just got to win the next fight, worry about it after.”

He continued, “He did beat me, and he’s the champ. The power’s in his hands. I’m not gonna dwell on it too much. All I’m gonna do is just keep my head down, focus on that next fight and try to get that win, and just keep winning. That’s the goal. That’s what I’m doing. I’m not worrying about too much else.”

Whittaker also explained that he had no intention of waiting for Adesanya after Costa withdrew. He wanted to stay active and is happy to knock off another contender in the process.

“It’s something that could have been a possibility, but Adesanya just fought, and who knows (when) he wants to fight next?” Whittaker said. “I just don’t want to wait that long. I want to fight, I want to get better, I want to earn (money and) do my job. I want to get in there and work. And, yeah, I’ve got a lot of things on. I don’t want to waste time waiting around. I hate that.”

After coaching Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Whittaker was slated to defend his title against Gastelum in the main event of UFC 234. But Whittaker was forced to withdraw just hours before the event due to emergency hernia surgery. The pair finally will get to square off just over two years later.

Gastelum has struggled of late, but he recently snapped a three-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. Whittaker isn’t taking him lightly.

“There weren’t a lot of options because a lot of the middleweight division is tied up,” Whittaker said. “And also, the ones that aren’t tied up just don’t make sense. So, Gastelum really was the only one that was a potential possibility. I kind of owe a fight to him anyway, right? So, it’s a good fight. There’s obviously some glaring changes that I have to make, but I still have a month until the fight. And, yeah, like I said, the camp was great, the fitness is on point. Everything is looking really good. …

“I just got to be prepared for a fight that could go anywhere. I got to be prepared for Gastelum’s power, for his pop, for his subtle distance control, and just be ready for that wrestling that’s always there, as well.”