Robert Whittaker was devastated to find out that Paulo Costa had pulled out of their scheduled scrap at UFC 284 next month.
‘The Reaper’ was scheduled for a top 10 showdown with ‘The Eraser’ in front of a hometown crowd as the UFC heads to Perth, Australia on February 11. Unfortunately, Robert Whittaker is no longer part of the evening’s plans as his opponent withdrew from the contest amid a contract dispute with the promotion. During an appearance on MainEvent in his native Australia, Whittaker shared his disappointment with the bout cancellation.
“It was very upsetting because I planned to train all the way through Christmas and to get the work in. I had planned sparring on Christmas day. That’s how committed I was to the cause. I’ll do the festive period, but I’ll get through it. I’ll train through it and then I’ll go on holiday with the kids after the fight, but for it to fall through… Yeah, it sucks. I’m glad I kept the receipts for the Christmas presents. Seriously, it sucks. I put in a lot of work for it to fall through the way it did. Especially after I made all these big claims that I will be there in Perth. I’m sorry to all my fans and stuff for it to fall through again, not of my own fault though. Yeah, it was upsetting.”
Robert Whittaker did confirm that the UFC is still actively looking to book him for a fight in March or April, but he is yet to sign on the dotted line for a specific date or opponent. One man heavily rumored to meet ‘The Reaper’ inside the Octagon was the undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev. However, Robert Whittaker put out the flames on that quickly, confirming that he was never once offered a fight with Chimaev, or anyone else for that matter, to keep his spot on the UFC 284 card.
“I wasn’t offered anybody, just to clarify that. It was just, we can’t get Costa across the line so we’re looking to reschedule in March or April”
Robert Whittaker Can See a UFC Title Fight With Alex Pereira in the Near Future
As far as who Robert Whittaker will meet next, ‘The Reaper’ believes a showdown with recent winner Sean Strickland is a possibility, but won’t rule out a potential title shot against new UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
“Looking at the division, it’s hard. For them not to put (Sean) Strickland in last minute against me in Perth. And there he would have had much more of a timeframe to work with if they gave me Strickland instead. It would have made sense, but if it’s not Strickland, then who is it in the top five that I haven’t fought? I can very well see Izzy-Pereira not happening. Izzy just letting me and Pereira punch on for a little bit and then him sliding in to fight the winner. That makes perfect sense if you write it down. It is a crazy world. It’s a crazy time for the division. What the UFC has planned for March and April is anybody’s guess at this point.”