Robert Whittaker discusses being 'sick as a dog' leading up to Paulo Costa fight - "Ultimate flu, it was terrible"

Robert Whittaker put on a spirited performance at UFC 298 in February when he took on divisional rival, Paulo 'Borrachinha' Costa. On the night, Whittaker did have some early scares, particularly towards the end of the first round when Costa caught him with a head kick.

Though 'The Reaper' appeared rocked, he managed to hold on till the end of the first round. He then remained cool, calm and collected to outpoint his Brazilian opponent and take home win via unanimous decision, extending his record to 25-7 and putting him back into the title picture at 185 pounds.

Robert Whittaker recently made an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and revealed that he had some issues heading into the fight with Costa. He said:

"This time, I was sick as a dog. I woke up fight day with a sore throat, and I was like, 'Doesn't matter, I'll worry about being sick tomorrow.' Got through the fight, next day [I] flew home and by the time I landed in Sydney, I was done. I kid you not, I had COVID, chicken pox as an adult and everything else, this was the sickest I have ever been. The Ultimate Flu, it was terrible."

The Aussie went on to add that the illness he was suffering from was 'a hundred times worse' than anything he had experienced in the past. Luckily for 'The Reaper,' it didn't appear to hamper his performance too much.

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments here (2:10):

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Robert Whittaker says MMA fans 'can turn on you in the drop of a dime'

Robert Whittaker is beloved by fans, both for his fighting ability and accomplishments, as well as his cheerful and exuberant personality. In recent times, however, 'The Reaper' has seen mixed success, as he has gone 2-2 in his last four.

In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Whittaker spoke on just how quickly fans could turn on fighters, alleging that recency bias is a very real thing in the MMA community. Citing both himself and lightweight legend Dustin Poirier as examples, he said:

"I love the MMA community… but they can turn on you in the drop of a dime. You know how many times after I lost to DDP, just reading the comments: ‘Robert Whittaker’s a wash’, ‘Whittaker is done now.' Let’s be fair, I’m smashing most guys. Poirier is hands down smashing most guys.”