LAS VEGAS — Robert Whittaker has long been one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world. He's 14-2 since June 28, 2014, losing only to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in that span.
It's a time when Whittaker has beaten, among others, Uriah Hall, Derek Brunson, Yoel Romero, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum and Marvin Vettori. That's a career's worth of significant victories, and he's still fighting as if he's in his prime.
But Whittaker is a low-key guy who doesn't hype himself and often gets overlooked as a result. On Saturday at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena, he'll face Dricus du Plessis, a surging middleweight who has all of a sudden become a prominent standout.