Christopher Reive chats to Robert Whittaker ahead of UFC 271. Video / NZ Herald
Robert Whittaker is over it.
In the build-up to his rematch against Kiwi UFC champion Israel Adesanya, the main story line touted in the media has been the fact that the two fighters do not like each other.
It's a narrative that stems back to their original meeting in Octoberof 2019, before which the pair made it clear there would be no impending friendship on the horizon.
Whittaker admits that, yes, it's true they don't like each other, but that doesn't mean they don't respect each other.
"I have a grudging respect for his ability to fight and, honestly, I'm over it all," Whittaker told the Herald.
"We don't like each other, he's not my friend, but to be fair I'm not friends with most of the guys I fight. I'll just let him do his thing, I'll do mine, then we'll fight, he can go on his way and I'll go on mine."
Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya will square off again at UFC 271 in Houston. Photo / Getty
Adesanya and Whittaker will headline this weekend's UFC 271 card in Houston on Sunday, with the winner leaving Texas as the king of the middleweights.
A title Whittaker lost to Adesanya in their last meeting, he said that despite coming in as the challenger and the underdog – a rare position for Whittaker to find himself in - there wasn't any less pressure heading into the bout.
"I thought coming in as the challenger – no one's expecting me to win, Izzy's the favourite, he's beaten me before – I thought there would be less pressure. But honestly, it just feels like another fight. I'm sure that's just due to my own self-inflicted pressures."
Robert Whittaker lost to Israel Adesanya during their first meeting in October 2019. Photo / Photosport
Leading in to the bout, as he did in his win over American Kelvin Gastelum last April, Whittaker has been getting in some rounds of sparring with Australian boxing sensation Tim Tszyu to help sharpen up his game.
Whittaker looked impressive in his win over Gastelum, his third straight since losing the belt to Adesanya, and put on a dominant display over five rounds to claim a unanimous decision win in which he swept Gastelum 50-45 on all three of the judges' score cards.
Speaking about his work with Tszyu, Whittaker said there was a lot to take away from getting in reps with the super welterweight, who is ranked among the top five in the world with three of the four major boxing promotions.
"Tim, for a smaller guy, packs a wallop. I kid you not, he hits like a truck," Whittaker said.
"He's definitely helped me with my eyes, my speed and my instincts, and sharpening those up. Sparring a guy with boxing at that level, it's great for fighting. It's like a fight when you're against him because he's very fast, very sharp and you have to adjust and adapt to that to work with him."
