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“If it had become personal, I would have taken care of it personally”.
Trash talk just isn’t in Robert Whittaker’s DNA, but if things had ever gotten personal with brash middleweight Israel Adesanya, and ‘The Last Stylebender’ decided to step across the line, ‘The Reaper’ would have dealt with it personally.
Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of his middleweight title unification bout with Adesanya at UFC 243, Whittaker actually thanked the interim middleweight champion for making a considerate effort to sell the fight.
“Not at all,” Whittaker said when asked if he had ever taken offense to Adesanya’s words. “If it had become personal, I would have taken care of it personally. He’s just selling the fight, and he’s being human, and he’s running his own thing, and I’m happy for that. It takes work off my plate. But I can’t be anybody but myself. I’m just doing the same thing I always do.
“I find a lot of what he says funny. I get a good chuckle out of it, so yeah, it definitely has not affected me. I look forward to fighting him on Sunday just because he’s a good fighter, plus he wants it.”
Although this is, undoubtedly, the biggest fight of Whittaker’s career, the reigning middleweight champ is treating it as ‘just another fight’.
“I am treating it just as another fight,” Whittaker said. “Intellectually, I can look at it and say, ‘You know, this huge. This is my title defense. It’s a milestone for me, and I can’t wait to get there.’ It’s going to be a great event. But in terms of the fight game, it’s just another fight.
“I think (the enormity of the moment) will be something that I reflect on after the fight. I can see it being the biggest fight ever, especially in this part of the world. I’m very excited for the amount of spotlight that’s going to put on not only the sport, but especially the athletes. That’s very important for me, because that’s another motivator for my career at the moment. So yeah, I’m very happy with how this is unfolding.”
UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya takes place this Saturday, October 6 at Marvel Stadium in in Melbourne, Australia.