Robert Whittaker is coming off of the biggest win of his professional MMA career, defeating former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza by TKO at UFC On Fox 24.
Whittaker feels that the win should put him in line for a UFC Middleweight Title shot, one the fighter is willing to wait for.
“It’s funny you say that, because I think with my last performance, I showed the world that I deserve a shot,” Whittaker said on The MMA Hour. “I did something that no one else in the division has done to a fighter who hasn’t been stopped in that way [in] a long, long time. A lot of the dudes are trying to just scrimp their way to having a shot by waiting it out, by sitting it out, and by doing these little political maneuvers. But at the end of the day, they’re running out of time. I am not. This is the beginning of my run. This is the beginning of my first run, the beginning of my career, just about. And if it’s a time race, they’re not going to win. I think ... I’ve set myself up perfectly for that next shot. And the fact that Bisping has called me out on top of that, it’s just cards in my favor; cards in my favor that I should just sit tight, do what I’m doing, and get prepared for that title shot.”
The Australian slugger has yet to challenge for UFC gold in his career, but he was the middleweight winner of the UFC Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.
UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping has also stated that he wants to defend the gold against Whittaker and Whittaker has a theory as to why that is.
“Trying to think and work out the machinations of Michael Bisping’s mind is a bit beyond me, but I think he does see that he owes me a fight, and what I did on the weekend, he’s not looking past,” Whittaker said, “You know, I think he might think I’m an easier match-up. Yoel’s got a lot of hype right behind him as well at the moment, and I’m sure some part of him does think I’m an easier match-up, but I love surprising people.”
Although his next fight has yet to be announced, the Australian will enter into that next fight riding a seven fight winning streak.
