"The whole world shut down, COVID said no" - Robert Whittaker wants to tick off long-awaited Europe visit with Marvin Vettori fight on "rumored" Paris card 

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Robert Whittaker (left) and Marvin Vettori (right) [Images courtesy of Getty]

Robert Whittaker recently stated that he is looking to reschedule his canceled bout against Marvin Vettori on a possible Paris card later this year.

'The Reaper' had to withdraw from their matchup at UFC 275 scheduled for Singapore next month. The former champion was suffering from an injury and didn't feel good in training. The Australian also said that he has never taken a fight without being at 100%. While speaking to mainevent, here's what the 31-year-old stated:

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"The fight got proposed to me, Singapore, three rounds, Vettori, everything was just tick tick tick... I was like, 'Yes, I want that fight. Let's do it.' I went back to training. As I was moving around, it didn't feel right. I got the scan, realized it was still injured, it hadn't healed at all. Went through a rehab process, went back to training again, still pain, still wasn't quite normal... I didn't get to where I am today, taking fights at anything less than hundred percent. Taking any fight, any preparation, or any training at anything but my best. It just wasn't there, I just needed a couple of more months to heal."

Whittaker then added that he has been looking to fight in Europe for a while. He wanted to fight Darren Till in Europe, but COVID-19 hampered his plans as the whole world was shut down. That said, 'Bobby Knuckles' is eyeing a fight against Vettori next on a proposed Paris card to be headlined by Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa:

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"The whole world shut down, COVID said, 'No, sorry, Europe's not ready for you.' Paris, rumored, coming up. Would love to jump on that card."

Watch Robert Whittaker talk to mainevent:

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Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori promises to be a barnburner

Whittaker and Vettori are both ranked in the upper echelon of the UFC's middleweight division at the moment. 'Bobby Knuckles' is ranked No.1, while 'The Italian Dream' sits at No.3.

Whittaker is coming off a loss to Israel Adesanya in his last fight at UFC 271 in February this year. Vettori is coming off a win against Paulo Costa at UFC Fight Night 196 in October 2021. Both fighters currently have two defeats against the division's champion, Adesanya.

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A win for either fighter in their potential matchup will keep them relevant in the title conversation. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya is set to take on Jared Cannonier in the next defense of his title at UFC 276.

'The Last Stylebender' stopped Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 to win the belt and defeated him via decision in his latest defense. His most recent win against Vettori came at UFC 263.

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