Tag: Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker Has A Bone To Pick With Daniel Cormier After ‘Scummy’ Move

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker wasn’t pleased to see an image of his damaged teeth quickly circulating online last October. Whittaker hasn’t competed since suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. The undefeated “Borz” emerged victorious from his toughest test to date in emphatic fashion, […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker wasn’t pleased to see an image of his damaged teeth quickly circulating online last October.

Whittaker hasn’t competed since suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

The undefeated “Borz” emerged victorious from his toughest test to date in emphatic fashion, locking in a face crank for the first-round submission.

His Australian opponent tapped almost immediately due to the pressure of the submission hold displacing his front teeth. And the severity of the issue was revealed when color commentator Daniel Cormier displayed an image of Whittaker’s damaged mouth toward the end of the broadcast.

The following month, “The Reaper” questioned the former fighter’s decision to share the image — and it would seem he’s still quite irritated.

During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Whittaker addressed “DC” broadcasting the image to the MMA fanbase, explaining why he would have rather it stay behind closed doors.

“I was super annoyed! It’s such a scummy thing to do,” Whittaker said. “The doctor took a photo of my mouth and said, ‘I’m just going to go show Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) so that they know what’s up.’ And I’m like, ‘Cool.’ And then DC took a photo off the other guy’s phone to post all over socials. It’s like, is that not scummy?

“I don’t care that much (about it being out there), but it looked a lot worse than it (was),” Whittaker continued. “The thing is though,, because it was posted all over the place, I was getting condolence messages, like people thought I was dead. And I would have liked to control the reaction a little better, but it is what it is, what are you gonna do?”

Whittaker went on to note the quick nature of his recovery from what initially appeared to be a traumatic injury, with the ex-champ returning to training just four weeks later.

He’ll now be looking ahead to his first assignment of 2025 and attempt to return to winning ways, as he looks to restart his journey back toward the 185-pound gold.

Reinier De Ridder Targets Adesanya vs. Imavov Winner, Calls Out Khamzat and Whittaker

Reinier De Ridder Targets Adesanya vs. Imavov Winner, Calls Out Khamzat and WhittakerJust two fights into his UFC tenure and Reinier de Ridder is ready for one of the big guns….

Reinier De Ridder Targets Adesanya vs. Imavov Winner, Calls Out Khamzat and Whittaker

Just two fights into his UFC tenure and Reinier de Ridder is ready for one of the big guns.

The former two-division ONE world champion secured a dominant win over Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in Los Angeles, moving to 2-0 inside the Octagon.

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While he is yet to break into the middleweight rankings, that isn’t stopping ‘The Dutch Knight’ from aiming for one of its highest-ranking contenders. During his appearance at the post-fight press conference on Saturday, De Ridder called for a clash with either Robert Whittaker or the next man in line for a shot at the 185-pound crown, Khamzat Chimaev.

‘RDR’ also left the door open for a potential scrap with the winner of next month’s middleweight clash between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov.

“Khamzat and Whittaker,” De Ridder, 34, said. “Khamzat will be cool for a grapplers’ matchup, would be cool for all that he’s done. Please, I hope they give me this, it would be amazing. I can be ready as soon as they are. Israel and Imavov will fight soon, as well, one of them would work, too. I can be back in the gym next week.”

Reinier de ridder may be aiming a little too high for his third UFC appearance

Adesanya vs. Imavov will headline the UFC’s return to Saudi Arabia on February 1. As for Chimaev, the undefeated Chechen monster is tipped to take on the winner of UFC 312’s main event rematch between defending middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.

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Overall, Reinier de Ridder is 19-2 in his mixed martial arts career, both of his losses coming against ONE Championship’s former three-division titleholder Anatoly Malykhin. De Ridder surrendered both the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight titles to the Russian juggernaut before exiting the promotion in pursuit of UFC gold.

What’s next for De Ridder is anyone’s guess, but following his dominant performance in Los Angeles, it’s clear that fight fans are excited to see just how far the Dutchman can go on MMA’s biggest stage.

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Robert Whittaker On Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan At UFC 311: ‘There’s A Skill Gap…’

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker expects at least one title to remain in its current hands this weekend, backing Islam Makhachev to double his lead over Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev and Tsarukyan first collided back in 2019, with the latter making his debut at the UFC Fight Night event in Moscow. While he performed well, […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker expects at least one title to remain in its current hands this weekend, backing Islam Makhachev to double his lead over Arman Tsarukyan.

Makhachev and Tsarukyan first collided back in 2019, with the latter making his debut at the UFC Fight Night event in Moscow. While he performed well, the Armenian was ultimately on the wrong end of a decision verdict.

Six years on, the pair have renewed hostilities in Los Angeles this week, as they gear up to headline Saturday’s UFC 311 pay-per-view with Makhachev’s lightweight gold on the line.

During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his assessment of the first PPV main event of the new year.

While he acknowledged Tsarukyan’s moments of success in their first fight, he sees a clear “skill gap” that will pave the way for Makhachev’s successful defense of the 155-pound title.

”I just feel like if we look at Islam’s last fight with Dustin and we look at Arman’s last fight with Charles, I just feel like there’s a gap,” Whittaker said. “I feel like there’s a skill gap, and everyone’s saying like, how well Arman (did against Makhachev) — went in his debut short notice etc.

“But you look at the names, you look at the the level of fights, you look at the stage that Islam’s fights were set on, Islam’s in a really good place right now,” Whittaker continued. “I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.”

The Dagestani will hope to prove “The Reaper” right come fight night at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on Jan. 18.

Should he do so, Makhachev will set a new record for most title fight wins and consecutive defenses in the UFC lightweight division, surpassing both Khabib Nurmagomedov and BJ Penn.

Robert Whittaker Leaves Door Open To CKB Return After Training With Israel Adesanya: ‘Maybe We Can Work Something Out…’

It seems that former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s visit to City Kickboxing might not have been a one-off. Fans witnessed a good sight this week when Israel Adesanya took to Instagram to reveal he’d been training with Whittaker at the Nigerian-New Zealander’s gym in Auckland. The pair haven’t always seen eye to eye and […]

It seems that former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s visit to City Kickboxing might not have been a one-off.

Fans witnessed a good sight this week when Israel Adesanya took to Instagram to reveal he’d been training with Whittaker at the Nigerian-New Zealander’s gym in Auckland.

The pair haven’t always seen eye to eye and were regarded as rivals owing to their two showdowns inside the Octagon, both of which were won by “The Last Stylebender.”

But with the possibility of a trilogy appearing slim following recent results, the pair have put any and all animosity behind them and linked up within the walls of New Zealand’s renowned gym.

And the catalyst for that was evidently Whittaker, who explained to The New Zealand Herald the decision to expand his training horizons in the new year in order to evolve as a fighter.

“We came to the conclusion we needed more bodies, we wanted to experience new training styles, and we started looking at our options,” Whittaker said. “We were looking all over the world; definitely, there’s training out there in the States…but (like) a flash of lightning, (I thought), ‘CKB’s just across the lake – it’s practically home – why don’t we contact them, head over, meet the boys, see if it works, then maybe we can work something out and try form a good relationship.’

“There is no way I thought we’d be here breaking bread, you know? But here we are, the world’s a funny place,” Whittaker remarked about training with Adesanya. “I’m happy for it because, just being open to ideas, to broadening horizons, I’ve met some new boys, I’m getting some new work out of it, and it just keeps things fun; keeps things interesting.”

Work with an elite name like Whittaker could come in handy for Adesanya, who is just weeks out from his first assignment of 2025.

After bringing his year-long break from the sport to an end with an unsuccessful title challenge against Dricus Du Plessis last August, “The Last Stylebender” will return to non-title and non-PPV competition when he headlines UFC Saudi Arabia against Nassourdine Imavov on February 1.

“The Reaper,” meanwhile, is without a date for his next outing in the calendar. He most recently fell to a brutal first-round submission at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev three months ago.

‘Hell Yeah, We Got Goku & Vegeta’ – Fans React As Israel Adesanya Teams Up With Two-Time Rival Ahead Of UFC Return

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills. Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances. Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he […]

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills.

Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances.

Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he first suffered a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, a fight where he also relinquished his middleweight crown. The downward trajectory continued at UFC 305 last August, where reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis handed him a submission defeat, deepening the slump for the once-dominant fighter.

“The Last Stylebender” is now gearing up to headline UFC Saudi Arabia, where he will face Nassourdine Imavov on Feb. 1 at the anb Arena in Riyadh. This highly anticipated showdown marks a notable change for the ex-champ, as it will be his first non-pay-per-view bout since July 2018.

With the fight just under a month away, Adesanya’s preparations are in full swing. In a surprising turn, he has brought in his former two-time adversary, Robert Whittaker, to assist with his training.

The 35-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi recently shared several photos and videos from his sparring sessions with “The Reaper” on social media.

“‘New year, new friends,” Adesanya wrote on X.

MMA fans responded to Adesanya’s sparring session with Whittaker, with many humorously celebrating the unexpected collaboration between the two fighters.

Adesanya and Whittaker first squared off at UFC 243 in October 2019, where “The Last Stylebender” clinched a stunning second-round knockout to seize the undisputed middleweight title.

Meanwhile, their second encounter took place at UFC 271 in February 2022, where the matchup was far more competitive. Despite Whittaker’s resilience, though, Adesanya ultimately gritted through the challenge and earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory to retain his championship.

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic Stunner

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic StunnerEchoes of Stone Cold Steve Austin. At UFC 300, Max Holloway delivered a jaw-dropping knockout in the final seconds…

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic Stunner

Echoes of Stone Cold Steve Austin. At UFC 300, Max Holloway delivered a jaw-dropping knockout in the final seconds of his fight against Justin Gaethje, cementing his place as one of the sport’s most thrilling fighters. The matchup was a highly anticipated clash between two of the UFC’s most exciting competitors, and it delivered.

Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje

‘Blessed’ Max Holloway is well known for his superb boxing. He entered the octagon as the underdog, especially after his previous loss to Dustin Poirier in the lightweight division. Gaethje’s size and powerful leg strikes had many experts predicting victory for him. However, Holloway’s performance defied expectations. He showcased incredible speed, out-landing Justin Gaethje. Despite taking heavy shots, one of which knocked him down for the first time in his career, he pressed on.

In the fight’s final moments, Holloway mirrored a move he made against Ricardo Lamas years ago, calling Gaethje to the center of the octagon to throw down. With just one second left on the clock, Holloway landed a massive right hand that knocked Gaethje out cold, securing a stunning victory and the BMF title.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker couldn’t help but compare Holloway’s dramatic finish to the iconic Stone Cold Stunner, made famous by WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whittaker praised Holloway’s boldness, saying, “Holloway stone-cold him—just stone-colded him. Gaethje was gone.” Whittaker added that the way Holloway walked off after the knockout reminded him of the dramatic flair of a wrestling finisher.

The Stone Cold Stunner became Steve Austin’s signature in the 1990s and remains a beloved part of wrestling history. This is not the first time Robert Whittaker has shown love for Stone Cold Steve Austin.