By FCF Staff

Leading up to UFC Abu Dhabi, Robert Whittaker acknowledged that he can see the end of his fighting career approaching. But, despite losing to Reinier de Ridder at the event, the former middleweight champ has confirmed he will be back.

Whittaker faced the former ONE champ in the headliner of the recent card, and lost the fight via split decision. The 34-year-old Whittaker was competing for the first time since October, when he was submitted by Khamzat Chimaev in the opening round.

More recently, Whittaker released a video statement via social media. Here was some of what the renowned fighter had to say about the loss and his future (quotes via MMA Fighting.com).

“Congratulations to de Ridder. He had a particular game plan, he executed it well. It got him the win. It is what it is sometimes, but yeah, I’m going to learn from this experience and move forward.”

“…This isn’t the end of Robert Whittaker. This is just another learning curve, another speed bump. I’m going to spend some time with my family, I’m going to just rest, recover a little bit, and then hopefully get back on an Australian card. It’s been a while, and honestly, I’m longing for it. It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Australia, and I’d love to fight here again. It’s time.”

Whittaker (26-9) had won consecutive fights against Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov before facing Chimaev. Prior to those wins he was stopped by current champ, Dricus Du Plessis in 2023.