Robert Whittaker reveals why he pulled out of UFC 248
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has finally revealed the reason for his withdrawal from UFC 248. There's good news for fans who were worried that the Australian fighter pulled out from the card due to a major health issue because 'The Reaper' has clarified that it isn't the case.
Even the best burn themselves out trying to maintain consistency
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Whittaker revealed that the real reason for pulling out is the fact that he was "completely burnt out" after competing at the highest level for almost ten years now. Whittaker said that he figured this out while training at the Wanda dunes in Sydney, Australia, on Christmas Day last year.
“I just stopped. Then stood there, asking ‘what the f**k am I doing?’ It was Christmas Day. My family was somewhere else. That moment, it’s when everything crashed.”
Whittaker explained that since his move to middleweight in 2014, he went on an intense training schedule that garnered incredible results but while it gave him success inside the Octagon, the grueling schedule took away something very precious to every person - his personal life.
“I sacrificed everything. My team suggested several plans which I took to. And because it worked, I just kept at it. But you can’t keep doing that forever. You just can’t. I just wasn’t home."
Whittaker is currently happy being in his personal space, spending time with his family and cutting down on the usually grueling training regimen he was on. The fighter isn't concerned with stepping back inside the Octagon anytime soon and plans to cross that bridge when he gets there.
“And not having those sessions, it means I can do things Saturday night too. I’m now playing with the kids late into Sunday afternoon rather than being completely spent. The changes I’ve made, it really will change my life. Not training to exhaustion every day, I guess you can say I’m living.”
Whittaker's last fight was against the reigning champion Israel Adesanya in the headliner of UFC 243 where the former got knocked out in the second round, ending up losing his title.