Finding happiness: Robert Whittaker points to mental changes as most impactful ahead of UFC 271

HOUSTON – Robert Whittaker admits a lot went wrong the first time around.

When he fought Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in October 2019, Whittaker lost via second-round TKO. He should have held his hands up, yes. Sure, he could have fought better. But perhaps more impactful than all of the other issues, was what he addressed first and foremost after the fight.

“There were a lot of mental things I got sorted post-fight that I couldn’t quite deal with until I had that ‘L,’” Whittaker told MMA Junkie at a UFC 271 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. Those mental changes stimulated the physical changes that I’ve made in the game in myself.”

Something Whittaker wholeheartedly committed to was his trust in the process and developments – rather than end results. That’s why he never called for a rematch nor sacrificed with quick turnarounds to secure a UFC title shot sooner. In fact, in mid-2021 he was passed over by fellow contender Marvin Vettori for this very reason.

“Honestly, since the (October 2019) loss, I’ve just been focusing on the journey, focusing on taking each fight as it is,” Whittaker said. “I was enjoying it. I was thinking, ‘I have to get back to the title shot.’ That’s why throughout the procedure, people were asking me, ‘You don’t want that title shot? They’re saying you don’t want it.’ It’s not that I didn’t want it. It’s just not something I was fixated on. I was working on things. I was working on myself. I was working on the game. I was enjoying the process. I know all roads lead to Rome, sort-of-thing. As long as I’m winning and getting better and enjoying it, I’d get here eventually.”

And rebound back to the top quickly, he did. Reinvented, rejuvenated, and solidified as the worthy next title challenger, Whittaker beat Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum – all via five-round unanimous decision.

Saturday, Whittaker will enter a much different environment than the first fight against Adesanya. Before, they fought on somewhat neutral territory of Melbourne – their own corner of the world. This time, the neutrality remains but it’s Houston instead, a city that neither fighter has attachment, too.

Don’t get it twisted, though. Whittaker is ready for every environment. Even the self-perceived pressure he felt in Melbourne is something he could deal with again, as he realized it was largely self-imposed.

“I think the pressure was self-imposed,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think the location played as much of a role as people think it did. I’m much more equipped to deal with certain things. Back home, I was putting that sort of pressure on myself. I was putting those expectations on myself. That was the biggest thing resulting in a lot of pressure.”

To sum it all up, Whittaker (23-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) said he is happy – a far cry from the way he felt before and during the timeline of his October 2019 title loss to Adesanya (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC).

“This one is much happier,” Whittaker said. “I’m just enjoying it. I’m enjoying it. I feel like a much happier person. I realize that if I didn’t enjoy the process and the road that led me here, I was not enjoying half my life. I spent a lot of time training and fighting in fight weeks. It’s a job and I’m enjoying it.”

UFC 271 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center. The pay-per-view main card streams on ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.