"I personally liked the no crowds" - Robert Whittaker explains why he enjoys competing at the UFC Apex

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker is happy to fight in front of fans in sold-out arenas. However, he also admits to being more comfortable fighting at the UFC Apex facility without crowds. 'The Reaper' likes the calm and serene atmosphere inside the Apex facility in Las Vegas and claims fighting without the presence of fans "almost feels like sparring."

Having said that, Whittaker is no stranger to fighting in front of packed stadiums. He enjoys putting on a show for fans who pay their hard-earned money to buy tickets to watch him compete:

"To have the switch from that to the Apex where it felt almost like sparring because you're just in the backroom warming up and then you walk out... Then to have like no crowd, no staff, it was a big shock. I personally liked the no crowds - I just felt intimate, I felt nice and quiet, I liked it... I enjoy that too. It's nice to be able to see the fans and give the fans a night they want, a night they pay for," Whittaker told MMA Junkie.

Check out Robert Whittaker's latest interview with MMA Junkie below:

Whittaker will compete again in front of live crowds when he reignites his rivalry with Israel Adesanya in the headliner of UFC 271. The pay-per-view event is set to take place on February 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Robert Whittaker has the chance to recapture his lost middleweight throne at UFC 271

Here's the official poster for Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 🏆 #UFC271 https://t.co/hfu5KqGkEr

Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya squared off for the first time in the main event of UFC 243 back in 2019. Adesanya captured the middleweight throne by picking up a second-round knockout victory on the night in front of Whittaker's home crowd.

Since then, 'The Reaper' has picked up three wins on the trot against top contenders in the middleweight division to earn a shot at redemption against Adesanya. Now that he has bagged the title fight, Whittaker is solely focused on ironing out errors from his first fight against 'The Last Stylebender' and recapturing the gold that was once his at UFC 271.

Robert Whittaker won't make the same mistake twice. 👏

Full interview: bit.ly/333MZQt https://t.co/koX9Dfxbxg