Robert Whiteford ready to put UFC Zagreb loss to Lucas Martins behind him

The featherweight fighter tells the Independent he is ready to get back in the UFC Octagon as soon as possible

Robert Whiteford (Per Haljestam)

Last weekend at UFC Zagreb, UFC featherweight Robert Whiteford suffered a split decision loss to Lucas Martins when the judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29, 30-27 in favour of the Brazilian. It's become a common trend that fighters hide away from media after defeats, however, the Independent spoke exclusively to Whiteford about how he was feeling following the loss.

"Going into the bout it was the Fight Pass featured bout and I was looking forward to an exciting fight," said Whiteford.

"Come fight night though, Lucas just didn't want to engage. He didn't initiate any engagement in the fight or any of the action that happened. I initiated everything that happened when I was jumping in and throwing my punches and kicks, taking him down and holding him against the cage.

"It was a tough one. All he did was march forward for the full fight. In round one he hit me with one punch and wobbled me and that's all he did in round one. In round two, again I just controlled the pace of the fight. All he did was march forward and do nothing. I just felt like I won every round."

Whiteford trains at one of the best MMA training facilities in the world at the American Top Team centre in Florida and his team and training coaches are some of the most respected people in the sport. Whiteford revealed they were informing him that he was winning the fight in between the round.

He said: "I was asking them if I should go out and have some fun but they told me I was two rounds up walking into round three. After round one, they told me I clearly won round one. I just said 'let me have some fun in the third round' but they said 'no you've won this fight, don't do anything silly'.

"They said just go into this round and just continue to do what you are doing and you will win comfortably by decision. So I listened to my corner team, listened to my gameplan and stuck to it and then found myself on the end of a split decision loss."

He then added: "To this day I still don't know how I lost this fight. I was never in any problems the whole fight. it's crazy, I didn't even get out of second gear to be honest."

The Scotsman then went on to explain the emotions that a fighter goes through during defeat and revealed that this loss in particular really got to him.

"I was in tears after the fight. It's not a case of me being comfortable and living at home and turning up for fight night in Zagreb and putting that one night in there. This is ten weeks of work for me. Away from home, away from my fiance.

"I leave everything and it's not just a case of fight night for me. I put a lot more into this than people realise. I was in tears backstage. All of that hard work for nothing.

"It's all well a good a judge scoring it for someone else and going back to his life but the consequences of a judge scoring a fight wrong it's far more than they will ever realise it's absolutely shocking. It just pisses me off to the highest order"

He added: "Look I can take a loss. When I get beat fair and square I can take a loss and I'm fine with that. This fight is different. I won the fight but yet I've still lost it. Rather than being upset, I'm more angry and annoyed by it. I know I won the fight, everyone knows I won the fight but yet I'm on the end of a loss. I've got a chip on my shoulder, I'm not upset, I'm pissed off."

This obvious frustration for Whiteford is what is now driving him on and the way the loss transpired and only made him want to get straight back in the Octagon as soon as possible to put things right.

He said: "Martins is the one in the wheelchair and is the one that had to go to the hospital after the fight. I've contacted the UFC and let them know my feelings about it and told them I'm ready to go again."

He then added: "I'm ready to fight again. I didn't even get out of second gear in that fight and it's just ridiculous.

"I'm still in shape, I'll going to stay in shape and I'm going to keep my weight down. I've had a few days on the food but I'm looking to jump in there again short notice. I just need three weeks and I'll be ready to go again. If not I'll wait until the end of the year but in the next four or five weeks I can take a fight."