Robert Whittaker

My philosophy is fight anyone, anywhere. If you're going to be the best then you're going to have to beat them all, so why pick and choose?

I've been dropped on my head multiple times.

Although I didn't spend much time in New Zealand at all, I feel really privileged to have that Maori blood and link to my past. I got my tattoo out of respect to that.

I've never cared who I fight. And that's something I just say - 'I'll fight anyone' - it's something I've lived up to my whole career. And I'm proud of that.

Everyone needs an objective, and everyone needs a goal, and it was frustrating just kind of being at a standstill.

I'm a very objective-driven bloke, so to have a goal in mind and to have something to do is very important to me.

Do I want everyone in Australia to know who I am? Absolutely. But the only way I can do that is by winning fights.

People smarter than me told me that my potential was bigger than just winning a belt. Now I believe that, and that's what I'm striving for.

Getting back to 100 per cent is one thing, but working at 100 per cent is something else entirely. And given one of my main goals has always been improving my skill set, to do that, I need to be working out at 100 per cent.

Family are my greatest source of strength. Emotion - they help me deal with that. One look at them, and I know everything is OK.

I'm very proud of my heritage and the blood that runs through my veins. I take a lot of strength from that.

My mother's Maori, and my father's Australian. I take my strength from both my ancestors, and I'm really privileged.