Robert Whittaker confirms he won’t be fighting at UFC 305 but will be attending event

Robert Whittaker previously expressed interest in fighting in front of home fans at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on 18 August. However, after several days of consideration, the former champion has ruled himself out of the pay-per-view card.

'The Reaper' defeated touted prospect Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on 22 June via first-round knockout. Having picked up no damage during the bout, Whittaker offered to be the replacement fighter for Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, set to headline UFC 305.

But 'The Reaper' recanted that statement during a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, no longer sharing any interest in being an emergency replacement.

Having required an unexpected surgery 24 hours before flying to Saudi Arabia to fight Aliskerov due to an infection in his mouth, the 33-year-old is still in need of two surgeries to complete the procedure. Thus, ruling him out of a potential appearance in August.

During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, he confirmed that he would be attending the event, but only as a spectator. He said this:

"[UFC 305] is only eight weeks from now. I don't want to get back in to camp right now. Before I flew out for this fight just now I had to get a couple of root canals, which I haven't even finished. So I've got to get some mouth work done as well. I'll be at Perth, I'm gonna take my boys to their first UFC card. I'm looking forward to doing that, just being a fan."

Watch Robert Whittaker's interview below (4:10):

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Sean Strickland doesn't believe Robert Whittaker "deserves" to fight him

Robert Whittaker's victory over Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia has seen fans call for a title eliminator clash between him and Sean Strickland. In his previous bout, 'Tarzan' suffered a narrow defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, which saw him lose the middleweight belt.

But Strickland remains adamant that he beat 'Stillknocks' on the night, and when recently asked about a potential clash with the Australian, he dismissed any notion the fight made sense.

During a recent interview, he said this:

"Ain't happening. I'd say no, Whittaker, he doesn't deserve it. I'm next in line, I defended my title shot, I'm the number one contender. It ain't happening... He lost [inaudible] pretty unanimously. I beat [Adesanya], I beat Dricus."

Watch Sean Strickland discuss fighting Robert Whittaker below: