Whittaker says he ‘wasn’t himself’ in Adesanya fight

Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

After beating Darren Till last night, Robert Whittaker talked about the night he lost his UFC middleweight title. In the main event of last night’s UFC on ESPN 14 Robert Whittaker improved his record to 26-5 …

MMA: UFC 243-Whittaker vs Adesanya

Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

After beating Darren Till last night, Robert Whittaker talked about the night he lost his UFC middleweight title.

In the main event of last night’s UFC on ESPN 14 Robert Whittaker improved his record to 26-5 after out-pointing Darren Till in a technical, back-and-forth affair.

The unanimous decision win was the Aussie-Kiwi’s first victory since his title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 last October.

At his post-fight press conference ‘The Reaper’ said last night was evidence of his caliber as a fighter. And that caliber, Whittaker argued, should never have been questioned despite the lopsided loss he took to the current 185 lb champ.

“Honestly, I am championship level,” Whittaker stressed (per MMAFighting). “Everyone can see that. Everyone’s always known that. I wasn’t myself last fight. I believe that. Not to take anything away [from Israel Adesanya], he’s a great striker, but I wasn’t myself last fight. I think this is a good win.”

Fresh off beating the top ranked Till, Whittaker said he is now focused on rematching Adesanya and reclaiming the UFC middleweight championship.

“I’m ready for a championship fight right now,” he said. “Whenever. Tomorrow. Last night. It doesn’t matter. I’m championship level. I displayed that tonight.

“That’s just the level I’m at. I’m already ready for a championship title shot. That’s just me.”

Whittaker entered the UFC in 2012 through The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, which he won as a welterweight. After an inconsistent run at 170 lbs, Whittaker moved up to the middleweight division in 2014.

At 185 lbs he went on a tear, winning seven in a row to set-up an interim title fight with Yoel Romero at UFC 213 in 2017. Whittaker won that bout, via unanimous decision, to earn the temporary belt. He beat Romero in an immediate non-title rematch, by split decision, and then had his interim title converted to the real McCoy.

His first defense was against Adesanya at UFC 243.