Australian UFC star Robert Whittaker has settled on a relatively simple plan for the biggest fight of his career in Kansas City this weekend:
Keep standing.
Whittaker, 26, will fight No. 3-ranked Ronaldo Souza of Brazil in a middleweight bout at UFC on Fox 24 on Saturday (Sunday morning AEST). Boasting a six-fight winning streak and 17-4 record, Whittaker knows this will be his toughest bout yet. But having done his homework on Souza, the recipe for success is simple.
"There's no secrets where Souza's strengths are. He's practically a legend at jiu-jitsu," Whittaker told ESPN. "It's a pretty simple fight plan. He's going to want to get me down and I'm [going to want to] keep it standing, and I think whoever incorporates their game plan and their will is [going to] win."
Whittaker last fought in November, when he earned a first-round knockout over Derek Brunson in Melbourne.
Speaking exclusively to ESPN before flying out for the United States, Whittaker said the preparation since that victory over Brunson had been faultless with he and coach Henrry Perez doubling down on the training since learning Whittaker had earned a place on the Kansas City card.
"The prep is unbelievable, it has never been this on point," Whittaker said. "Each camp, each fight, I am getting better at the lead-up to the fight. So honestly, come fight night, I think you'll see the best Robbie Whittaker the UFC has ever seen.
"I have to be on point with my wrestling defence, but more importantly I have to lay my hands on him. I think it's no secret that's the trick to my fighting techniques. And I think that's the trick to me winning as well, just trying to lay my hands on him."
While Perez wouldn't be drawn on the exact tactics Whittaker would employ in Kansas City, he is in little doubt his charge is 100 percent focused on the job at hand.
"Robert's state of mind has to be at the right place, at the right time," Perez told ESPN. "The whole physical condition has to be [there] at the right time when it comes down to the fight.
"I have all my trust in Robert being able to be successful in that fight. I don't want to really go into the tactics of the fight that much, but all I can say is that the work is put down, the mental state is there and whatever happens on the night, I think it's going to be about who is the better man on the night. I believe in Robert."
Having got his big break by taking out the UFC's reality show, The Smashes, Whittaker's profile Down Under has since grown to the point where there will be huge Australian interest come Sunday.
Driven by a love of country, Whittaker wants to put Australian mixed martial arts on the map.
"Every time I step out there in the Octagon, I aim to do Australia proud," he said. "And this isn't for popularity or a fan base; it has never been for that. It's just because I love my country and I want to show the world what we're doing down here."