‘TUF’ winner Robert Whittaker looks on bright side of UFN 33 scratch

Robert Whittaker will have to wait a little longer for redemption, but the reality-show winner said he isn’t going away empty handed after the cancelation of his most recent fight.

“You go through a camp and leave your family behind and find out there’s no reward at the end of the rainbow, it’s a little gutting,” the fighter told MMAjunkie Radio. “But I just take what I can from this camp and roll into the next one and keep on swinging.”

Welterweight Whittaker (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who won “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Australia vs. Team U.K.,” fell short in his most recent outing with a split decision loss to Court McGee (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 27. Until health issues intervened, he was scheduled to meet Brian Melancon at UFC Fight Night 33, which takes place Dec. 7 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

Melancon revealed that ongoing kidney problems were threatening his health, which prompted him to announce his retirement from the sport after withdrawing from the event.

Because the withdrawal took place well several weeks prior to showtime, the bout was scrapped, and Whittaker’s ticket to Brisbane for UFC Fight Night 33 was canceled. He nonetheless hopes to attend and show his support for the Australian fighters on the card.

Whittaker, a native of New Zealand who now makes his home outside of Sydney, said he’ll make the most of the time off after training hard to get himself back in the win column. He said he launched himself particularly hard into preparation in the wake of his loss to McGee and picked up the bumps and bruises that accompany a hard training camp.

“I have a bad habit of throwing myself at everything,” he said. “Down time is always appreciated, and I take it when I can, but I love fighting. Fighting isn’t really a job for me. I enjoy doing it. Now that my fight’s been pushed back, I’ve got a little bit of breathing room, and just jump back in when they’ll have me.”

Whittaker isn’t sure when that might be, but said he’ll be ready for whomever the UFC decides he should fight.

“I was ready for any fight they were going to throw at me,” he said. “Who can guess what the UFC has in mind, but I’ll fight anyone they put in front of me.”

The 22-year-old Whittaker has shown promise since his turn on the Australian version of “TUF,” where he knocked out his first two opponents and then outpointed finalist Brad Scott to win the show. In his first post-reality appearance, he dominated “TUF 16? winner Colton Smith before his loss to “TUF 11? winner McGee.

While Whittaker still smarts over his setback, he said he used it as fuel to become a better fighter.

“I don’t think I’ll ever really get over it,” he said. “I take what I did wrong and take what I could have done better and use that as fuel to keep sharpening the edges to put me through the camp. It was a tough fight. Court McGee’s a tough guy; he kept the pressure on and did what he had to do, and I respect him for that.”

When he returns to the cage, Whittaker will be rested and ready to fight his way up the 170-pound ladder.

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 33, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.