Robert Whittaker is relishing the underdog role heading into his title-fight rematch with Israel Adesanya.
Whittaker (23-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will look to reclaim the middleweight title when he meets champion Adesanya in the main event of UFC 271, which takes place Feb. 12 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Since losing the belt to Adesanya (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) at UFC 243, Whittaker has looked nothing short of impressive. But despite garnering three wins over top contenders Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, he remains a sizable underdog at +200, according to Tipico.
“I’m the underdog moving into this rematch with Adesanya,” Whittaker said in an interview with Unibet Australia. “(It) makes sense, you know. He already beat me once. He’s the current champ. He’s sitting at the high horse and he beat me the first time. It definitely takes some of the pressure off, being the underdog.
“No one expects me to win. No one expects me to go over there and dethrone him after he beat me already. Throughout my whole career, I’ve loved being the underdog. I love getting in there and defying the odds. I like going in there and proving people wrong. It gives me that little bit of extra edge.”
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Whittaker admitted his ego got in the way of his performance against Adesanya in their first fight. “The Reaper” has looked near flawless at 185 pounds, but on that particular night, Whittaker wasn’t able to mount much offense and ultimately was stopped in Round 2. He has since shown new wrinkles in his game by landing numerous takedowns in his wins over Till and Gastelum as he brings a more refined skill set into the rematch.
But Whittaker says he hasn’t just evolved physically.
“As a fighter, I’ve changed plenty because you can see I’m trying to incorporate new angles into my game,” Whittaker said. “I’m not the same guy I was then. I’m utilizing a more complete skill set. Most importantly is outside of the octagon. I’m not the same guy I was then. I’m much more at grips with who I am, why I do things, why I train, why I want to win. The most important thing is just winning. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a belt or not. It’s about winning.”
