Robert Whittaker Sees 'Light at the End of the Tunnel' for UFC Career

The finish line is in sight for former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

However, “The Reaper” wants to leave a lasting impression before he rides off into the sunset.

“Four fights. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I want four more, that’s me,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “I see the stepping stones needed to do what I want to do. Four fights gets me into that title shot, gets me into a position to finish on top, to have that fairy tale ending. I’m working towards it.”

Whittaker will return to action against Reinier de Ridder in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner at Yas Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 26. A former two-division title holder in ONE Championship, de Ridder has kicked off his Octagon tenure with finishes of Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal.

“De Ridder is a tough guy. He’s riding a lot of hype from the Bo fight. Beating him puts me in the direction I want to go, so let’s go,” Whittaker said.

“… His grappling is top tier. He uses his physical advantages very well. He’s tall, he’s very rangy. He likes clinching up, he likes tying up. He uses an offensive jiu-jitsu game quite well,” Whittaker added. “I look to just take it into my world …. Honestly, I just want to get my mitts on him. Stuff the takedowns. Make him uncomfortable, stalk him the entire fight. I’ve got 25 minutes, five rounds to do so. That’s what I’ve been practicing for.”

Whittaker is also looking to erase the disappointment from his last Octagon appearance, a first-round round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 this past October.

Whittaker Not Disheartned By Chimaev Loss

“He was just better than me on the day,” Whittaker said. “I could look to make as many excuses under the sun as I want, but truth is I’ve got the ‘L’ now, so all you can do really is just throw yourself back in the gym, get back on the horse.

Because the fight went the way it was, I’m not disheartened in my own skill set particularly much. I’m not disheartened in my striking ability, my knockout ability, so I go into this fight still with a lot of confidence that I can do what it is that I do. Prior to the Chimaev fight, that I did to Ikram, that I did to Costa, striking’s my game. He’s going to look to try and take me down and I’m not going to let him.”

In Whittaker’s ideal scenario, he’ll get a chance to avenge a loss against either Chimaev or Dricus Du Plessis — or perhaps both — somewhere down the road. Du Plessis will defend the 185-pound bel against Chimaev in the UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16.

“I think I’m leaning toward Dricus [in that fight],” Whittaker said. “Chimaev will take him down. It’s will he finish him before he gets back up? That’s the million dollar question. Because if he doesn’t finish him on the ground, I think he loses.”