Robert
Whittaker appreciates the respect Sharabutdin
Magomedov has shown for him.
Advertisement
Both Whittaker and Magomedov won “Performance of the Night” bonuses
for their respective stoppage wins at
UFC on ABC 6 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on
Saturday. Whittaker took less than two minutes to knock out
Ikram
Aliskerov, who replaced Khamzat
Chimaev on nine days’ notice in the main event of the night.
Meanwhile, Magomedov put on a striking masterclass to secure a late
stoppage over Brazilian debutant Antonio
Trocoli, who took the fight on three days’ notice.
Whittaker, who watched Magomedov’s fight against Trocoli, was
impressed by the Dagestani’s performance. However, “Bobby Knuckles”
noted that Trocoli started to fatigue after a hectic flurry early
in the first round.
“I did [watch his fight]. The guy he fought was tired man, very
tired,” Whittaker said at the post-fight press conference. “Not taking
anything away from Shara. I like the way he utilized his kicks, the
way he stayed focused and the way he danced on the outside, avoided
the dangers of half the first round. Yeah, it was admirable. But
the guy he fought was tired.”
Given Magomedov’s rising popularity, Whittaker was asked about a
potential clash against the undefeated prospect in the future.
While Whittaker is not one to duck any opponent, he believes
Magomedov still has a few more steps to climb before being
considered a potential opponent.
“I’m at the top of the ladder. I fight everyone. I’ve fought
everyone. There isn’t anybody that I haven’t fought,” Whittaker
said. “Earn your stripes, earn your shot and get there. I’ve never
picked or danced away from any opponents. If our paths cross, they
cross.”
Magomedov agreed that a Whittaker booking ideally lies somewhere
further down the line in his career. When Chimaev pulled out of his
clash against Whittaker, Magomedov was asked if he would have liked
the opportunity to fight “The Reaper” on short notice. While
“Bullet” admitted that a chance to fight Whittaker would be too
good to pass, the Dagestani said he would prefer the fight to be
for the title.
And Whittaker can’t help liking Magomedov a little bit more for
that respect, even though he tries not to develop any feelings of
fondness for middleweights who could be potential opponents.
“I appreciate the respect he’s giving me,” Whittaker said. “Now I
like him a little bit more. I try not to like any middleweight
because there might be potential opponents. But I’m respectful to
all middleweights because honestly only the other middleweights
understand what we go through. Understand the hard work and the
sacrifice and the determination you need to succeed in the sport.
So, they have the most respect for me, as much as I try to not like
them. And he’s doing his thing, he got a good win tonight. I wish
him the best. And like I said, if out paths cross one day they
cross. Maybe, maybe not.”