Robert Whittaker explains why he doesn't like trash talking - "I don't want anyone to feel bad"
Robert Whittaker has explained why he doesn’t like to engage in trash talk. ‘The Reaper’ has suggested that be it his interactions in the fight game or in the video game community, he chooses to refrain from talking trash.
Ahead of his high-stakes UFC middleweight title rematch against Israel Adesanya, Whittaker spoke to Sportskeeda’s James Lynch regarding multiple topics. The Australian is widely-revered in the MMA community not only for his brilliant fighting skills but also for being one of the most respectful personalities in the sport.
On that note, the former UFC middleweight champion was asked whether his video game streaming and interactions with other players in the gaming world have helped with his trash-talking skills. Whittaker responded, saying:
“I can talk trash with the best of them. But I do it; like, I do it in good humor, you know what I mean? I do it to take a laugh and to take the pi** out of someone; not to like, actually insult them and get in the head. I don’t want anyone to feel bad, you know? I don’t want my trash talk to make you feel sad. That, to me is just; we’re playing games. There’s no point.”
Watch Robert Whittaker’s conversation with James Lynch for Sportskeeda below:
Daniel Cormier believes the Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya rematch will be more competitive than their first fight
Daniel Cormier recently discussed the highly-anticipated rematch between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. Their first fight saw Adesanya beat Whittaker via second-round KO at UFC 243 in October 2019.
Adesanya, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, is scheduled to defend his belt against Whittaker, the former champion, at UFC 271 on February 12th. Despite the one-sided nature of their first clash, Daniel Cormier believes the rematch will be a much closer fight. Speaking to Helen Yee, 'DC' said:
"I think it'll be much more competitive. I think Robert Whittaker took time away and in the fights he's shown improvement. I don't know how you improve when you're Whittaker and you defended the belt so many times and you were the champion and you were all these great things but you're still getting better and he showed that in his last couple fights. He's really improving, he's still getting better.”
Watch Daniel Cormier preview the Adesanya vs. Whittaker rematch below:
Furthermore, Cormier explained that the nervous energy Whittaker felt heading into the first fight won’t be as prevalent in the rematch. 'DC' also opined that ‘The Reaper’ will adopt a more cautious approach at UFC 271, instead of hastily pursuing the finish as he did in their previous encounter.
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