You don’t need bad blood to make exciting fights, and that’s good news for the combatants of UFC 234.
Four fighters who have always let their fists do most of the talking took the stage ahead of their main and co-main appearances at Sunday’s [Saturday US] sold-out extravaganza, and managed to ramp up the anticipation of their respective showdowns without getting mired in stew of insults.
As they did when they coached opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Kelvin Gastelum were ultimately cordial to one another, and has been the case since TUF, both men were careful to give respect where respect is due and never mistook confidence for arrogance.