Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker returns to the Octagon tonight vs. former welterweight title challenger Darren Till. Bobby Knuckles tells Jake Michaels for ESPN that he's better than ever in all regards, after experiencing burnout from a many-years-long training period when he ran hills on every holiday, skipped funerals, and took a break only for a series of medical issues. That time in his life was punctuated by losing his title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 on October 6, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia.
Whittaker was asked how he felt after the loss.
"It was either have a break or just quit," he replied. "From the break, I have had a very supportive team. My team have been the best. To be able to communicate with them and talk to them and brainstorm some new ideas and move things around.
"From that, and obviously from the forced change of the pandemic ... a breath of fresh air has been put back into the training, and that has brought back so much enjoyment and fun.
"I started realizing [I was ready for a return] much earlier than I decided to, because you can't just act impulsively on the first feeling you have. After two months, I came to the decision and I was like, 'Nah, I've got a long time ahead of me.' I put the loss to Adesanya behind me, and I've learned a lot of things about myself."
"This fight is huge. I need this next fight. A lot of questions and answers should arrive from this fight. It will give me direction.
"Across the board, I have improved my skill set. My striking has got crisper and smarter, I definitely think my wrestling and grappling has gotten better. I now have such an arsenal of weapons at my disposal. That's the journey of this sport."
It's widely believed that the winner gets the next title shot, but that's not on Bobby Knuckles' mind.
"I haven't thought about it, to be honest," said Whittaker. "I just want to get into this fight. I just want to fight and put my skills to work. I don't care about anything else."