‘He’s a Psycho’-Robert Whittaker Gets Intimidated by Jeremy Stephens During UFC Vegas 24 Press Conference

Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, will take on Kelvin Gastelum in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum. It will be the promotion’s last event at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, before heading to a packed arena for UFC 261.

At the UFC Vegas 24 press conference, Whittaker discussed his upcoming fight and how he’s looking forward to the battle. Throughout the interview, he seemed relaxed. He also talked about Jeremy Stephens, who will fight Drakkar Klose in the co-main event.

Whittaker said, “He’s a psycho. I saw him, he was getting dressed and looked aggressive (laughs). He scares me, man, (chuckles) he’s a good guy.”

Though Whittaker appeared in a jovial mood, that will be far from what he will be once the fight begins on Saturday. ‘The Reaper’ will look to go 3-0 in his last three to solidify his spot as the UFC’s top-ranked middleweight.

ALSO READ: Jeremy Stephens vs Drakkar Klose-Prediction and Analysis for UFC Vegas 24

Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum- On the brink of a title shot

Initially, Whittaker was booked to fight Paulo Costa in the main event, but ‘Borrachinha’ withdrew due to illness affecting his preparatory camp. Hence, Gastelum stepped in to give fans the bout they missed at UFC 234. On that occasion, ‘The Reaper’ pulled out because of a medical emergency that required emergency surgery.

Whittaker (22-5) has won 11 of his last 12 fights. His last defeat came at the hands of Israel Adesanya. The former champion’s last match was against Jared Cannonier at UFC 254. He beat ‘The Killa Gorilla’ via a unanimous decision to build on his win over Darren Till.

Gastelum (16-6, 1 NC) was on a three-match losing streak, which began with an interim title fight loss against Adesanya in 2019. He lost the back-and-forth match in a unanimous decision. Subsequently, he lost to Darren Till and Jack Hermansson before beating Ian Heinisch at UFC 258.

Both fighters would be definitely eyeing a re-match against ‘The Last Stylebender’ and a win here will seal the deal for either party. The headlining match surely seems to be an exciting match-up. Who do you think has a better chance of winning?