Since he went to the middleweight, 'The Reaper' has never been losing back-to-back so far.
Robert Whittaker was beaten last weekend by Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
The matchup came to the thread with an incredibly narrow fourth round apparently the crucial moment to determine the split result.
Although some fans argued that Whittaker earned the victory more, the fight could have really go in all directions, whereby MediaScores were also split into the middle.
At 34 years old with 35 Pro fights under his belt, this defeat led to a few questions about where the former champion is currently in the middleweight division.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Robert Whittaker reflects on his loss to Reinier De Ridder, says it is not all negative
Now a few days away from Saturday evening in Abu Dhabi, Robert Whittaker posted a video on social media to share his thoughts about the fight and how he feels in the aftermath.
'The Reaper' has always been an incredibly respectful competitor who often seems to be in cheerfulness shortly after his setbacks.
With that in mind it is not surprising to hear Whittaker say that he is still motivated to correct some errors and to get back to work in the near future.
“Okay, everyone, it's a few days since the fight, thought I would give you all an update. I am disappointed, but I am not discouraged. There were many things I liked about the fight, there were many things I did not do, but I will take everything, go back to the gym, sit down with the team, sit back with the team and then go apart and then go apart and go apart and then.”
Whittaker also gave the honor to Reinier de Ridder, who enormously relied on his strongest skills to achieve the greatest victory of his career so far.
“Congratulations to De Ridder. He had a certain game plan, he performed well, it got the victory. It is sometimes what it is.”
Robert Whittaker says he wants to return to Australia after he hasn't fought there for six years
The last point of Robert Whittaker in his video on social media was about his hope for a return to the Octagon.
Although he did not give a time frame or opponent, he stated that he would rather have his comeback fight in Australia.
'The Reaper' competed for his fans for the last time when he was losing for Israel Adesanya in their enormous middleweight title fight on UFC 243 in 2019.
“This is not the end of Robert Whittaker, this is just another learning curve. Another speed threshold. I'm going to spend some time with my family. Just rest and recover a little and hopefully go back on an Australian map. It has been a while and honestly I have longed for it.
The UFC will return to Perth in the near future, but September 27 would be far too fast from a change for Whittaker, which suggests that he might wait until next year.