Robert Whittaker explains why he doesn't miss being the champion and prefers to be a contender against Israel Adesanya at UFC 271

Robert Whittaker has explained why he does not miss holding the middleweight title. Whittaker says he likes the chase as opposed to being on top of the mountain.

In a recent installment of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the Australian stated that he misses the paydays that being a champion brings. However, he feels that holding the belt can leave a fighter without a goal and so prefers being the one chasing:

"I miss the better pay days. That's about the only thing I miss from [being champion]... I really enjoyed the chase, the work up the ladder. I know there's that whole psychology of guys who get to the top and then find themselves aimless... once I got there, I didn't have the same sort of fire in me. My goals kind of got shifted and I don't think I made the adjustment before I fought Izzy."

Watch Robert Whittaker's appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani below [discussion about championship starts at 18:45]:

'The Reaper' lost the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243. The pair are set to have a rematch on February 12 at UFC 271.

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"I really appreciate those fights" - Robert Whittaker explains why he enjoyed fighting top contenders before rematch against Israel Adesanya

Robert Whittaker had to do some soul searching and come up with a new gameplan for his upcoming clash with Adesanya. Whittaker has revealed that the three fights leading up to his rematch helped test out his combat repertoire.

During an interview posted to MMA Junkie's official YouTube channel, Whittaker said:

"It was massive for me to be able to utilize skill sets that I haven't needed to use in previous fights, to go out there and try new things and adapt to new styles of fighting. Adding my wrestling to the game, adding different striking techniques to the game... I really appreciate those fights. I appreciate the time I was able to put into those fights."

The Australian fought three top contenders after losing his belt to 'The Last Stylebender'. He won all three of those fights, against Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum, by unanimous decision.

Watch Robert Whittaker talk to MMA Junkie below [discussion about last three opponents starts at 8:01]