Former UFC middleweight champion and current No. 1 contender Robert Whittaker stopped by Fox News Australia last week and talked candidly about his pre-fight emotions.
Whittaker was asked how he feels like moments before a fight and how he turns it on.
“Um, moments before a fight, it’s why am I doing this. This is terrible – it is the most pressure and the feeling from the whole day, from when I wake up to when I’m in the octagon they lock that bolt and there’s no one in there except the guy that’s trying to beat me up. It’s terrible, it’s terrible. It’s a terrible feeling,” said Whittaker during the interview. “[It’s] Not terrifying. It’s terrible. It really is terrible, it’s um, there’s just so much pressure. Every single fight I’m like, why am I doing this?”
It wasn’t all terrible, however. The Australian did say there is a moment when fighting is fun and he loves it.
“That’s the funny part because once a fight happens it’s a roller coaster of emotions and I can barely remember fight just because of the adrenaline and how fast it’s going,” Whittaker said. “But, um, there is a moment in the fight when I’m bouncing around in front of him and he’s trying to take everything from me. “I’m trying to hit him my hardest and there’s just that one moment where I just love it. Absolutely love the thrill of it and that threat that gamble, you know.”
Whittaker is sitting on the sidelines waiting for the winner of Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori who will collide next month at UFC 263.
