UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker wouldnât mind playing the villain role against Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris.
On September 3, the UFC will head to France for the first time with a blockbuster card that looks set to feature a whole host of exciting talent. One of the fighters who will be competing on the main card is none other than former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, with his opponent being Italian sensation Marvin Vettori.
In a recent chat with GiveMeSport.com, the former king cast doubt on the idea of Vettori being the fan favourite on the night - and also made it clear that heâd be fine with being the bad guy either way.
âI donât think heâs the poster boy of Europe [laughs].
âIâm sure of it [having his own fans there]. Iâve got a lot of English fans that I know of, and yeah, I donât know why people would dislike me for no reason, it doesnât make a lot of sense to me. Iâm cool. I donât play into the crowd very much. If I do get the underdog role and I do get that villain role, Iâm pumped. Thatâd be cool. I love upsetting people!â
A clear warning
Robert Whittaker is the definition of a class act and while he may be an absolute killer inside the cage, he isnât too bothered about talking trash to his rivals in the name of selling a few more pay-per-views.
When asked about Vettori potentially trying to play mind games, Whittaker explained how that could work against him.
âHe likes being a bit mouthy, sells fights, likes building up a little bit of hype for the fight. I think mentally he likes to do that to try and build a bit of dislike for his opponents. Iâve fought plenty of mouthy fighters before, Iâm quite accustomed to it at this point. Iâm not too worried about it, it might even be fun.â
âI feel like people just set themselves up for failure when they say stupid stuff. Itâs fun, I find it fun when they get mad because itâs a game, itâs a thinking game. You can see where it starts to fall apart. People fall apart, they start stumbling over their own feet.â
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: GANE vs. TUIVASA tickets go on sale from 09:00 a.m. BST on Friday, June 24, via Accor Arena and Ticketmaster.