Robert Whittaker Will Retire If He Gets “Knocked Out” A Lot: “My Health Comes First”
Robert Whittaker has picked up nine of his 22 professional MMA wins by KO/TKO, while two of his five losses as a pro came via the same method.
One thing that Whittaker knows if that he winds up on the wrong end of too many knockouts, it will spell the end of his professional MMA career.
“Hell no,” Whittaker said on What The Heck (via Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting). “This game is stressful. That’s another thing, these guys that fight throughout their late 30s, early 40s, this game never gets easier. Every fight, never gets easier. The stresses and the nerves are always there. Like, always. I don’t know why they just keep throwing themselves into this game. It is crazy, in my opinion. I have a soft cap, and I’m obviously going to go on how my body feels, but if I start getting knocked out and start losing, my health comes first – I’m gonna just bow out.”
Whittaker’s two KO/TKO losses came to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 and Stephen Thompson at UFC 170.
The former middleweight champion also wants to leave the sport one day and be able to have fun with his children.
“Let’s say, touch wood, I’m not performing as well as I want to at 35, then I’m gonna be in the prime physique to still run circles around my kids, which sounds like a pretty good gig,” Whittaker said.
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates and predictions.
