NO SHAKING THE REAPER
UFC star Robert Whittaker has made changes to topple his rival, writes NICK WALSHAW
ROBERT Whittaker has been interviewed, analysed, even torn apart like some biology frog this week by everyone but the fella who knows him best. Great mate, Jacob Malkoun. A bearded brawler from western Sydney who, outside the grappling classes he teaches at Whittaker’s Smeaton Grange gym, or wrestling session with reigning NRL premiers Penrith, exists largely in anonymity.
But know that when it comes to Sunday’s UFC 271 blockbuster between Whittaker and UFC king Israel Adesanya, nobody knows the Aussie half of said showdown owdown better.
Same as when en it comes to the changes s Whittaker has made since losing Australia’s lia’s first UFC title in 2019, none have ve seen more, or r felt it on the e mats, quite like Malkoun.
But get t asked about it? t? Um, no. Which ch is strange, right? ght? Especially when knowing the biggest question to the he biggest fight in Australian alian UFC history is this: How is i Whittaker Whi k differdiff ent enough to get this done? After all, when losing his middleweight crown to Adesanya before a record UFC crowd of almost 60,000, Bobby Knuckles was KO’d not once – but twice.
So again, how is Whittaker different? And is it enough to beat a New Zealand phenom with the biggest UFC contract of a fighter not named Conor McGregor?
Which is why this week in Houston, we tracked Malkoun down. Keen pick the brain of Whittaker’s g-time partner years ago, overweight teen, was taken by the old man to what both thought was a local boxing gym. But it wasn’t.
No, instead, it was an MMA sweathouse where Whittaker trained.
Back then, just five or six wins into a professional career that would eventually morph into one of the greatest UFC middleweight records of all time. A chunk of which is now credited to Malkoun. A fighter who has himself transformed from 115kg park footballer to UFC middleweight.
We stopped the quietly spoken Malkoun to ask the only question that matters.
“More comfortable,” Malkoun said, when quizzed on the changes to Whittaker since the loss and subsequent disappearance to deal with what he revealed was physical and mental burnout.
“It’s not crazy differences.
“But you can see he’s more comfortable in himself now. Happier.”
But the real kicker?
“Rob’s always been the better fighter,” he stressed. “Yes, he got caught on the night. And this will again be a tough fight. But Rob has more skills than Israel. He’s the better fighter and always has been.”
Which is worth discussing.
Specifically, what if all the things Whittaker was suffering around that first showdown – the burnout, pressure, hating his rival, even an injury jury history which included d emergency surgery on a twisted sted bowel – means the dififference between him m and his megastar rival l are much less than everyone thinks?
Undoubtedly, he e was outclassed first st fight. But remember also lso he fought in uncharacteristeristically reckless fashion. .
Elsewhere, Whittaker has won three since his sabbatical, along the way showcasing greatly improved striking, grappling and patience.
Which is why former UFC champions Michael Bisping and Chris Weidman are both tipping an upset. Analyst and Dan Hardy can also Whittaker submission predicting for the Submission Radio podcast “arm triangles and rear-naked chokes all day in the fourth and fifth rounds”.
Even Whittaker, on media day, agreed he Adesanya were far closer in skill than that first suggested.
“Although I’m not taking anything away from his first win – he beat me handily,” he said. “But, yeah, I do think our skill levels are much closer.”