‘They’re Very Different Opponents’- Robert Whittaker Reacts to Change in Opponent

Published 04/04/2021, 11:47 AM EDT

The UFC has a lot of fighters, and naturally, they are a unique set of athletes. The former middleweight champion of the world, Robert Whittaker, is one of the better ones.

He lost his title to the greatest middleweight that the sport ever saw in Israel Adesanya in 2019. After that defeat, he bounced back to win fights against Jared Cannonier and Darren Till.

As a result of that amazing form, he was set to fight Paulo Costa, who himself lost to Adesanya, losing his unbeaten record.

Article continues below this ad

However, fate would intervene, and Costa had to withdraw from the fight after he got stuck with a severe case of the flu. Luckily, Kelvin Gastelum stepped in to fight Whittaker on short notice for a fight on 17th April.

The Australian talked to the media after the change and revealed his thoughts on the situation. “My OCD flared up, to begin with, and I was very upset, but I got over it pretty quickly,” Whittaker said in an interview with ESPN MMA.

“Fortunately, me and Kelvin were scheduled to fight a couple (of) years back, and I’ve done work for him. I’ve had a lot of work with southpaws and for southpaws in the last few years, so making the adjustment in the switch wasn’t too hard,” he said.

Robert Whittaker ready to roll with anything that happens

Whittaker also talked about the difference between both of the fighters. Costa is someone who favors striking and has subpar wrestling skills. Gastelum, on the other hand, is primarily a wrestler.

Article continues below this ad

“They’re very different opponents. One’s a southpaw, one’s an orthodox, and they’re very different body types, but sometimes you just gotta roll with it,” he concluded.

Gastelum has some momentum on his side after he beat Ian Heinisch in February. However, he has lost 4 of his last 7 fights and needs to win this to plan a charge for the title. It will be an interesting fight. A classic striker versus grappler match-up, don’t take your eyes off of this one.

Article continues below this ad

Do you think Kelvin Gastelum can beat Robert Whittaker?

Every Tattoo On Israel Adesanya and The Stories Behind Them

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Aniket Awasthi is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. This STEM undergraduate combines an insatiable urge to write with his admiration for MMA and the UFC in general to enhance his journalism. He calls charismatic names like Chael Sonnen and 'The Count' Michael Bisping as his favorite fighters, but he is a great admirer of the rise of Israel Adesanya ever since he fought Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221.

‘They’re Very Different Opponents’- Robert Whittaker Reacts to Change in Opponent

Robert Whittaker ready to roll with anything that happens

Trending

“Bubble Gut From High HGH Abuse” – Joe Rogan’s Dire Health Concern Flares Up as Fans Worry About UFC Commentator

“He Cannot Push Me” – Islam Makhachev Exposed 6-Time Wrestling Champ Jordan Burroughs in Front of Daniel Cormier Last Year

Violently Threatening Conor McGregor Takes a Bad Turn for 50 Cent as UFC World Condemn Rapper After Old Beef Resurfaces

Alex Pereira’s Offical Status for Tom Aspinall Confirmed by UFC 300 Star’s Team

Dana White Confirms Big Change in UFC 300 Bonus for Max Holloway After Justin Gaethje’s Devastating KO