Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is not short on confidence heading into his next fight. Although Whittaker failed to recapture the middleweight belt from Israel Adesanya in his last outing in the Octagon, the Australian fighter is set to take on Marvin Vettori at UFC Fight Night 209 this weekend. At the pre-fight media day, Whittaker discussed what he expects from Vettori: a gritty, tough fight against an inferior opponent.
“He wants to turn it into a dog fight. He wants to turn it into a barroom brawl – that’s his fight style: get up close, push up against the fence, box you up, take you down, wear you out. That’s what he does.
Whittaker Dripping With Confidence: “I’m technically better than him”
I’m very different. I’m in, out, I hit hard, I hit fast. I’m technically better than him, I believe. I think I’m going to hit him too much. I think I’m going to be too much for him. I think he’s underestimating how good I am, how fast I am, how hard I hit, and I think that’ll come out on Saturday.”
Although Whittaker conceded that Marvin Vettori has improved lately, he still sees himself as the better fighter. Vettori actually claimed that Whittaker was stagnant after his last fight, which Robert Whittaker, predictably, disagreed with.
“He’s wrong. I think I am improving. I think there’s hard facts to prove that I am improving. I think the wins behind going up is hard evidence that I’m improving. I think the way that second fight with Adesanya went is hard evidence that I’m improving, so I think I’m getting better.
I definitely think he’s gotten better, but like by how much? He’s gotten better at his style that’s rough and tumble, so to speak. It’s very hard to gauge, especially when his style relies so heavily on being able to outlast, take [more] damage than your opponent. How do you get better at taking shots?
Not that that’s all he does, but I do think he’s gotten better. It would be crazy for him to not have gotten better.”
Both Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori occupy a similarly unenviable position. Both are among the UFC middleweight elite. Both are visibly superior to most competition. Both have failed to capture UFC gold since Israel Adesanya ascended to the top spot in the division. With Adesanya looking like he might stick around for the long term, the rest of the UFC’s top-ranked middleweights appear to be on a carousel fighting one another to earn another shot at “The Last Stylebender”.
Whether this fight will do exactly that remains to be seen. What’s your prediction for Whittaker vs Vettori? Let us know in the comments.
