When Rob Whittaker walks into the Octagon on Sunday afternoon, he knows Kelvin Gastelum is likely a different fighter than the one he was scheduled to face in 2019.
But so is Whittaker. And he’s a far more dangerous version now, he argues.
“This game is ever growing in that respect,” Whittaker told Sporting News. “However, in saying that we've both grown as fighters, which is true, I think I've grown more.
“I would have beaten him [in 2019] and certainly since.”
It’s no secret that Whittaker is no fan of being his own hype man – or buying into hype at all. He just genuinely believes that Gastelum’s best chance was a little over two years ago.
“I just know that I've evolved for the better and, you know, I was dangerous back then so…”
It was at UFC 234 in February, 2019 when Whittaker was scheduled to make his first middleweight title defence on home soil. With both Gastelum and Whittaker making weight, fans woke up on fight day to breaking news that Whittaker was heading to hospital for emergency surgery.
Whittaker still vividly remembers that day.
“Everything was normal until after the weigh-in when I started rehydrating and replenishing my fuel.
“I started getting stomach aches and I thought maybe it was something I ate. Then I started throwing up to the point where I had nothing to throw up because I was just dehydrated.
“I had to bring in the doctor. I toughed it out and tried to sleep it off. I held on until that night, I put up with it the whole day, and then the doctor came in and told me, ‘you can’t go on like this.’
“It was to the point where I didn’t even care about the fight. I just wanted to get rid of the pain. I haven’t felt anything like that; it was terrible.”
Now less than a week out from finally facing Gastelum, Whittaker can see the benefit – however slight – in his forced lay-off.
“Honestly, I wouldn't say I’m happy I went through everything that I have but I'm seeing the silver lining. I'm wiser. I'm more resilient. I know how what I'm made of.
“It doesn't make my fight game better directly. It's more that because I can handle everything else better and because I'm more resilient.”
At first glance, it seems like a risky fight for Whittaker with little to gain from it.
With the exception of Paulo Costa, who pulled out of the April 18 fight, Marvin Vettori, who fought last week, and 7th-ranked Jack Hermansson, booked to fight Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC 262 in May, Whittaker has beat everyone ahead of Gastelum – looking for his second win in a row after a three-fight skid saw him fade out of title contention.
But Gastelum’s record is deceiving. There’s no-one else to fight and Whittaker wants to work.
“Waiting (for a Costa rescheduling) was an option, but I just can't stomach it,” Whittaker said. “This is my trade. This is how I provide for my family. This is what I do for work. So, the idea of sitting down and not working until the end of the year, you know, not working for potentially a whole year…It just doesn't sit well with me.”
Should Whittaker walk out of Las Vegas’ UFC Apex on Sunday with another top 10 scalp to his name, he’s not expecting a call from 185lb strap holder Israel Adesanya, though.
“He's the champ, he makes all the rules; that's just some of the perks for being at the top of the food chain.
“You just got to roll with it sometimes. There are so many things out of my control that if you stress about them, it'll just drive you insane.”
Should Costa become available and be in the title picture, he could get his shot, though.
“I'm happy to fight anyone; that's the game in this industry,” Whittaker said. “It's my trade and I was happy to fight him now.
“I’m happy to fight him tomorrow but I'm not really looking past Gastelum at the moment now because he’s my number one priority.
“Costa lost his chance, but I'm sure if he hangs around, we'll cross paths at some point.”
