Robert Whittaker is holding his head high, as usual.
The former middleweight champion suffered a loss this past Saturday in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, dropping a close split decision to Reinier de Ridder. Whittaker battled de Ridder for 25 minutes, scoring a dramatic knockdown in the third, but a pair of 48-47 scores for de Ridder earned “The Dutch Knight” the victory.
On Tuesday, Whittaker released a statement via Instagram reacting to the loss.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m not disheartened,” Whittaker said. “There are a lot of things I liked about the fight, but a lot of things I didn’t. I’m going to take it all, head back to the gym, sit with the team, pick it apart, and then get back on the horse. That’s all you can do.
“Congratulations to de Ridder. He had a particular game plan, he executed it well. It got him the win. It is what it is sometimes, but yeah, I’m going to learn from this experience and move forward.”
Whittaker, 34, has now lost consecutive fights for the first time since 2014. He was looking to bounce back from a nasty face crank submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev this past October, but fell short on the scorecards despite some strong moments.
With a title shot that much further away, fans and critics will likely speculate on how many fights the 16-year veteran has left. However, Whittaker made it clear he will step back into the octagon again, ideally in his home country of Australia.
“This isn’t the end of Robert Whittaker,” Whittaker said. “This is just another learning curve, another speed bump. I’m going to spend some time with my family, I’m going to just rest, recover a little bit, and then hopefully get back on an Australian card. It’s been a while, and honestly, I’m longing for it. It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Australia, and I’d love to fight here again. It’s time.”
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