Robert Whittaker suggests Sean Strickland’s refusal to fight him could work against ‘Tarzan’s’ title hopes: “They don’t look favorably upon them”
Robert Whittaker's first-round KO win over Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia thrust him right back into the middleweight title picture. With Sean Strickland also making a strong case for another title shot, there have been calls for a fight between the two former champions for the No.1 contender spot.
But 'Tarzan' already occupies the No.1 ranking at middleweight, and has shared no interest in putting it on the line. Strickland was recently asked to share his thoughts on a potential clash with the Australian, to which he responded by saying that 'The Reaper' did not deserve to fight him.
The California native stated that his victory over Israel Adesanya, and competitive clash with Dricus du Plessis have left him as the standalone contender for the next middleweight title shot.
Following his superb victory at UFC Saudi Arabia, the 33-year old was interviewed by talkSPORT MMA, where he discussed Strickland's lack of interest in facing him. 'The Reaper' said this:
"I know the UFC doesn't like people who wait and just chill on the sidelines. What that means, I don't know. But they don't look favorably upon them. If I'm gonna be honest, I don't care what Sean Strickland does. He can do whatever he wants."
Watch Robert Whittaker's interview below (6:00):
Robert Whittaker no longer interested in being back-up for Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
UFC 305 is set to take place in Perth, Australia, and will be headlined by a bad-blood matchup between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.
Robert Whittaker, who is eager to avenge defeats against both men contending for the middleweight title, shared his interest in being the replacement fighter for the UFC 305 main event.
His potential role as the back-up fighter for Du Plessis vs. Adesanya was fully supported by UFC CEO Dana White. However, after some time to reflect on his decision, 'The Reaper' has opted to remove himself from being an emergency replacement.
He discussed why during a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, saying this:
"I totally forgot that I've got to finish my root canal... I had to get two root canals two days before I flew out [for UFC Saudi Arabia]... But also, once the adrenaline settled down, I'm no one's back-up fighter dude. I'm not gonna sit on the sideline waiting for crumbs. When I fight either one of those guys, that's the fight the UFC's gonna give me, and I'm gonna go hunting... I like that approach much more."
Watch Robert Whittaker's video below (12:10):