Robert Whittaker lands a punch against Jared Cannoniner in the co-main event at UFC 254. Whittaker won the fight by unanimous decision.
Robert Whittaker fighting out his legacy
Once upon a time, Robert Whittaker was the best in his division. He’d defeated the best middleweight had to offer and was champion. But heavy lies the crown and Whittaker, who put immense pressure on himself as the champion, lost his title.
But Whittaker’s legend will continue this weekend. Despite not having the title anymore, Whittaker has become a fan favorite fighter and has never been one to back down from a challenge. Now 33 years of age, his body bears the shadow of war. Are Whittaker’s best days behind him? Or does he have more to give?
The fall of Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker was struck by lightning. Not literally, of course, but figuratively speaking. He was a loved champion but the freight train that is Israel Adesanya came roaring through and Whittaker could not get out the way.
“The Last Stylebender” was caught up in the flow of destiny. His legend had yet to be cemented but Whittaker would certainly be part of it. Adesanya destroyed an over-anxious and weary Robert Whittaker with a highlight second round knockout that would be played for ages. But something curious happened…
Robert Whittaker was freed.
The pressure of being a champion, the same pressure that saw him pull from a title defense the day of the fight against Kelvin Gastelum, got to him. It facilitated the rise of Israel Adesanya, the spoiler of Whittaker’s reign. But as heavy as that crown may be, it now belonged to someone else and “The Reaper” could fight free from the pressures of being king once more. This is when Whittaker did some of his best work.
The Reaper Returns
After losing his title, Robert Whittaker was relieved of the pressure of being a champion. He could fight free again. And he did. Whittaker became the perfect definition of a gatekeeper, and I mean that in a respectful sense. There was Israel Adesanya at the top. But new contenders wanted in and Whittaker was who they had to go through.
Darren Till seemed destined for a date with Adesanya. Whittaker took the decision and Till’s downward descent that led to his parting ways with the UFC began. Jared Cannonier was next. He was to beat Whittaker at UFC 254 and fight Adesanya for the title. Whittaker lumped him for three rounds and broke his arm with a kick.
Was Kelvin Gastelum next? Certainly not. Whittaker cruised through him as well. The UFC brass had seen enough and Whittaker got the rematch with Adesanya.
He would lose that rematch. But it wasn’t the big takeaway. Israel Adesanya had not been pushed to the brink like that since he captured the undisputed title against Gastelum. Whittaker, when compared to his first fight, was better. He fought more free. He wasn’t ran through by Adesanya as he was in 2019. Three years later, Whittaker was the best version of himself.
He would return again and beat Marvin Vettori with relative ease, beating another top contender. It seemed Whittaker was destined to get another crack at the title.
Falling short again
Robert Whittaker was then matched up with another contender. This time it was Dricus Du Plessis, a South African contender with heavy hands and heavier top pressure.
Of course we know that Du Plessis would beat Whittaker and go on to also win the title against Sean Strickland. Whittaker was knocked out in round two. But the new Whittaker wouldn’t let the loss define him, as he’s learned in the past. Instead, Whittaker got to work.
The next fight was against Paulo Costa, the only middleweight besides Strickland he has not yet fought. While Costa rocked Whittaker with a massive wheel kick, Whittaker settled in and got to work. He got out of that fight with the decision win.
Continuing his role as the gatekeeper, Whittaker was ready to face Khamzat Chimaev, one of 185’s most daunting tasks. Whittaker was ready. He planned on showing the world that five round Chimaev was not so tall of an order. Instead, Chimaev pulled out due to illness.
Whittaker doesn’t pull out. Instead, he takes on a more well rounded and less predictable fighter in Ikram Aliskerov. Aliskerov is a monster wrestler but also has great striking, a different task from the 100 mile an hour pace from Chimaev. Whittaker didn’t bat an eye. He accepted the fight and will get to work as he’s always done.
