Robert Whittaker has a shot at 'TUF' history at UFC Fight Night 27

Robert Whittaker is still a relative newbie in the UFC, but on Wednesday, he has the opportunity do something only Rashad Evans and Mac Danzig have accomplished.

With a win over Court McGee at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 27 event, Whittaker would become just the third winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” to defeat two fellow show champions.

Whittaker (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and fellow welterweight McGee (14-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meet on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card of the event, which takes place at Indianapolis’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Both are “TUF” champs; McGee won the 11th season of the U.S. version while Whittaker won an international version, “TUF: Smashes.” A New Zealand native representing Australia, the 22-year-old Whittaker scored a pair of knockout wins before earning a decision victory over Brad Scott in the tournament’s final.

While it was a dominant run, it wasn’t until his recent knockout victory over “TUF 16? Colton Smith at UFC 160 that he thinks some fans began to take him seriously.

“Yeah, definitely – I felt like I had something to prove to the other series and to myself, as well,” he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I just wanted to prove to myself that the grade was the same (between the two series).”

This time, he meets McGee, who recently ended a two-fight skid with a decision victory over Josh Neer at UFC 157. According to FightMetric, McGee landed 166 significant strikes, a new UFC-welterweight record. However, Whittaker, whose 10 career stoppages include five knockouts and five submissions, believes he’s up to the task.

“My striking is definitely my strong point,” he said. “I keep refining that to different grades and different levels with each fight. You have to keep your strengths strong, and that’s what I plan to do.”

But against McGee, who turned around a once-troubled life with martial arts and his fighting career, Whittaker knows he needs more than striking skills. He also needs a gas tank and durability – the strengths he knows McGee will bring to their bout.

“I’ve seen him on numerous accounts take hits, and he just shrugs it off,” Whittaker said. “I was actually a fan of his during his own series (of ‘TUF’), and you’ve just got to be able to give the man some credit for his ability to takes shots. But also, he’s well-versed in all aspects of the game. He’s pretty well-schooled, and he takes it to you. He’s a really strong pressure fighter. You’ve got to respect his abilities.”

Recently, Whittaker relocated to Montreal. After convincing himself he needed to move to North America to advance his career, he considered camps like American Top Team and Team Jackson-Winkeljohn before setting up shop at Tristar, where he now trains with many fighters he’s long admired. Admittedly, it’s taken the youngster out of his comfort zone.

“The language barrier was definitely hard to overcome,” he said. “French is a hard language to grasp. It’s a totally different life than the other side of the world, so there were definitely some adjustments.”

His decision, though, paid off and helped lead him to the third-round TKO win over Smith. He defended takedowns before finding the openings for his strikes. Now, he hopes it’ll lead to similar success against the more experienced McGee.

“After the results of my last fight, I found a second home, and I stuck to it,” he said of Tristar.

For more on UFC Fight Night 27, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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