Robert Whittaker suffered his second defeat in a row this past weekend at UFC On ABC 9 in Abu Dhabi after a split-decision loss to Reiner de Ridder, but he’s trying his best to take it on the chin and stay positive.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m not disheartened,” Whittaker said. “There are a lot of things I liked about the fight, but a lot of things I didn’t. I’m going to take it all, head back to the gym, sit with the team, pick it apart, and then get back on the horse. That’s all you can do.
“Congratulations to de Ridder. He had a particular game plan, he executed it well. It got him the win. It is what it is sometimes, but yeah, I’m going to learn from this experience and move forward.”
Heading into the fight the 34-year-old Whittaker had suggested he was targeting for more fights before retiring as he mapped out a route to regaining the title before hanging his gloves up for good.
The loss to de Ridder has thrown a spanner in the works though, but for now ‘The Reaper’ isn’t planning to throw in the towel and is instead already looking ahead to his next fight.
“This isn’t the end of Robert Whittaker. This is just another learning curve, another speed bump. I’m going to spend some time with my family, I’m going to just rest, recover a little bit, and then hopefully get back on an Australian card. It’s been a while, and honestly, I’m longing for it. It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Australia, and I’d love to fight here again. It’s time.”
