MELBOURNE, Australia – Robert Whittaker knows there are those that believe he may have left a piece of himself in the cage following a pair of wars with Yoel Romero, but the UFC middleweight champion has a different take on that experience.

“I feel they should be worried, but for other reasons,” Whittaker told MMAjunkie at an open workout session today in Australia. “I feel that Yoel gave me his best in 10 rounds and couldn’t put me away. I went 10 rounds with a monster. No one else has.”

Whittaker (20-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) puts his title on the line against Kelvin Gastelum (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the main event of this weekend’s UFC 234 event, which takes place Sunday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Due to the time change, the event airs on pay-per-view in North America on Saturday.

For Whittaker, it marks his first opponent since a pair of decision victories over Cuban powerhouse Romero. Both five-round affairs were named their respective card’s “Fight of the Night.” The 28-year-old Australian admits he’s happy to see a different man on the opposite side of the cage, but he’s certainly not taking Gastelum lightly simply because he’s not Romero.

“It’s definitely not a step down,” Whittaker said of the clash with Gastelum. “I respect his abilities. He’s a dangerous fighter. He’s going to come in there hungry, with nothing to lose. That’s one of the most dangerous combinations.

“I’m giving him the respect he deserves. It is refreshing to have a different opponent other than Yoel, but, you know, here we are.”

Whittaker is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, while Gastelum sits at No. 7. Whittaker seems incredibly confident ahead of the contest but insists it has nothing to do with any potential perceived quality gap.

“My confidence in that comes from my training and how I perform and who I am,” Whittaker said. “I know I’m a good fighter. That’s what I do. It’s what I live.

“Every fight is dangerous. Every fight is by itself. Just because I beat so-and-so doesn’t mean I’m any better or any worse than anybody else – just it was my night, and that’s it.”

If anything, Whittaker said he’s more excited about the chance to fight again in Australia than he might be relieved to be facing a different foe. Rod Laver Arena was absolutely electric for Whittaker’s 2016 win over Derek Brunson, and the 28-year-old champ said he’s thrilled for the opportunity to experience that atmosphere once again.

“It’s a very special moment,” Whittaker said. “I think the biggest thing is that I’ve missed home. I’ve wanted to fight here for a long time. To be able to come home and defend my belt, have, well, I guess in my career one of the biggest fights to date, it’s pretty unreal.”

The Whittaker vs. Gastelum matchup doesn’t have quite the buzz around it that the champion’s June 2018 rematch with Romero did. Neither competitor is much for trashtalk, so pre-fight hype has been minimal. And truth be told, both are quite respectful of the blue-collar approach each other takes to the sport.

Don’t expect that to change much between now and Sunday’s event, Whittaker said, even with Gastelum proudly declaring he’s looking for a first-round knockout.

“He’s beaten some big names,” Whittaker said of Gastelum. “He’s young. He’s hungry. He’s tough. He hits like a truck. He’s got good, well-rounded skillsets, so I think we go in there very, very, very even.”

And don’t expect Whittaker to look past this opponent and consider the ramifications of the night’s co-feature with Israel Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Anderson Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC) facing off in a bout that seems to have some serious title potential.

“Not thinking that far ahead, mate,” Whittaker said. “Sunday’s too close, too hard.”

Instead, expect Whittaker to simply focus on the task at hand, for which he believes past experience has served to make sure he’s more than prepared.

“I’m going to bring the best Robert Whittaker to date on Sunday, and I’m dangerous on a bad day,” Whittaker said.

To hear more from Whittaker, check out the video above.

For more on UFC 234, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.