Tag: Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker ‘Playing With The Idea’ Of Light Heavyweight Switch: ‘I’m A Big Dude…’

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has firmly shut the door on the possibility of returning to welterweight, but he has left another door ajar… Whittaker will enter the new year off the back of a crushing defeat, having been submitted in the opening round by a brutal face crank at the hands of Khamzat […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has firmly shut the door on the possibility of returning to welterweight, but he has left another door ajar…

Whittaker will enter the new year off the back of a crushing defeat, having been submitted in the opening round by a brutal face crank at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi this past October.

While wins earlier in the year over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov had the Australian approaching a chance to regain the 185-pound crown, “The Reaper” is now out of the championship conversation for the time being.

And when he returns in 2025, it seems Whittaker is pondering the prospect of inserting himself into a different one.

During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker noted that a return to welterweight — the division he went 3-2 in under the UFC banner before switching to middleweight — is not on the cards. A move up, however, could be.

“Me, I wouldn’t go down. I can’t go down,” Whittaker said. “I’m still playing with the idea of going up to light heavy, dude. I’m a big dude, much bigger than people think I am. I don’t know.”

Should Whittaker follow through on that, he’d be chasing a man he was previously in pursuit of at 185 pounds.

After a brief stint on the middleweight throne, Alex Pereira secured two-division glory in just his second fight at light heavyweight. He’s since defended the gold on three occasions in 2024, establishing himself as one of the promotion’s leading stars.

Robert Whittaker Gives Strickland ‘Props’ For Sticking To His Guns, Predicts Du Plessis Rematch

Just over a year on from their first meeting, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland are set to meet in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Following his bounce back win over Paulo Costa in June, Strickland has remained confident that he deserved the opportunity to fight for the […]

Just over a year on from their first meeting, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland are set to meet in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Following his bounce back win over Paulo Costa in June, Strickland has remained confident that he deserved the opportunity to fight for the title again.

His first encounter with “Stillknocks” at UFC 297 went the way of the South African via a split decision and though the fight was close, there weren’t a ton of people calling for the rematch to take place. This was especially true following Khamzat Chimaev’s recent win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 where Du Plessis said himself that a matchup with the undefeated contender would excite him more than running it back with Strickland.

In a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his reaction to the fight announcement. The former champion took his hat off to Strickland for sticking to his guns and getting what he asked for even when it looked like it might slip away from him.

“I’m surprised Sean just literally sat out. Like everyone was laughing at him when he said, ‘I’m going to sit out till I get my title shot.’ Dude straight up got a title shot, props for that. You got to give it him, guy like straight up stuck by what he said.”

Despite this, Whittaker isn’t sure that Strickland will be able to make the adjustments needed to reclaim the middleweight title.

“In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different. Du Plessis is such a dog in there, he’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time? Okay because if we look at it, it doesn’t happen often but the challenger beats a champion by decision, okay. Du Plessis did that and now he’s a champion and that was a close first fight, you know what I mean. You see where I’m angling with this. I just don’t know what Sean can do differently to change the outcome from happening again.”

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: ‘Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded’

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Borz’ made…

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'

Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Borz’ made a pretty compelling case at UFC 308, scoring a quickfire submission victory over Whittaker. With the win, Chimaev moved to the No. 3 spot in the 185-pound rankings and appears to be well on his way to his first title opportunity inside the Octagon.

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However, the unbeaten Chechen monster may be waiting a bit after UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland the next title shot.

“Yes, [Strickland is still next],” White told reporters at a DWCS press conference in October.

White’s comments came weeks before Chimaev dropped jaws with his first-round neck-crank finish against ‘The Reaper’ in Abu Dhabi, leading many to suggest that ‘Borz’ be allowed to skip the line and walk straight into a scrap with ‘Stillknocks.’

Appearing on the MMArcade podcast with Jonny Roses, Whittaker echoed that same sentiment.

“I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded, ever.”

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Khamzat Chimaev likely to face winner of ‘dDP’ vs. Strickland 2 instead of jumping the line

Following his win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland made it clear that he planned to sit on the sidelines and wait for a rematch with Du Plessis. Clearly, Whittaker is not of fan of that strategy, but you can’t really blame Strickland for not wanting to put his spot at the front of the line at stake — especially after White confirmed he’s next.

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No official date for ‘DDP’ vs. Strickland 2 has been locked down. Originally, the promotion had hoped to take the sequel scrap to Du Plessis’ home country, South Africa. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is no longer the case after White indicated issues with locking down a venue.

dricus du plessis

No matter where Du Plessis and Strickland decide to run it back, Khamzat Chimaev will be watching and waiting.

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: ‘Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded’

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Borz’ made…

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'

Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Borz’ made a pretty compelling case at UFC 308, scoring a quickfire submission victory over Whittaker. With the win, Chimaev moved to the No. 3 spot in the 185-pound rankings and appears to be well on his way to his first title opportunity inside the Octagon.

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However, the unbeaten Chechen monster may be waiting a bit after UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland the next title shot.

“Yes, [Strickland is still next],” White told reporters at a DWCS press conference in October.

White’s comments came weeks before Chimaev dropped jaws with his first-round neck-crank finish against ‘The Reaper’ in Abu Dhabi, leading many to suggest that ‘Borz’ be allowed to skip the line and walk straight into a scrap with ‘Stillknocks.’

Appearing on the MMArcade podcast with Jonny Roses, Whittaker echoed that same sentiment.

“I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded, ever.”

gettyimages 2180536853 612x612 1

Khamzat Chimaev likely to face winner of ‘dDP’ vs. Strickland 2 instead of jumping the line

Following his win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland made it clear that he planned to sit on the sidelines and wait for a rematch with Du Plessis. Clearly, Whittaker is not of fan of that strategy, but you can’t really blame Strickland for not wanting to put his spot at the front of the line at stake — especially after White confirmed he’s next.

gettyimages 2155668136 612x612 1

No official date for ‘DDP’ vs. Strickland 2 has been locked down. Originally, the promotion had hoped to take the sequel scrap to Du Plessis’ home country, South Africa. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is no longer the case after White indicated issues with locking down a venue.

dricus du plessis

No matter where Du Plessis and Strickland decide to run it back, Khamzat Chimaev will be watching and waiting.

Robert Whittaker Reveals Planned UFC Return Date After Crushing Loss To Khamzat Chimaev

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has his eyes on a mid-2025 return after repairing the damage he sustained at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev last month. Following two strong appearances in 2024 that saw him outpoint Paulo Costa and knock out the highly touted Ikram Aliskerov, Whittaker hoped to make it three on the […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has his eyes on a mid-2025 return after repairing the damage he sustained at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev last month.

Following two strong appearances in 2024 that saw him outpoint Paulo Costa and knock out the highly touted Ikram Aliskerov, Whittaker hoped to make it three on the bounce at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

But his pursuit of a rematch with current titleholder Dricus Du Plessis came to an emphatic halt at the hands of Chimaev, who added “The Reaper” to the list of victims on his undefeated record.

And the result was up there with the Chechen star’s most vicious in the UFC to date, as he dragged Whittaker down before displacing his front teeth with a brutal face crank in the very first round.

During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker provided an update on his status, revealing he underwent a procedure to remove and replace the damaged teeth — dental surgery that also uncovered a sizable cyst in the Australian’s jaw.

But the former champ is now on the mend, and he’s even eyeing a return to action as soon as May 2025.

“I’m going to give a bit of time. I’m not going to rush into the next fight, because there are some things I want to address,” Whittaker said. “I’m probably looking to return in June. June-ish? End of May? I don’t know. We’ll play with the dates next year.”

And when he does make the walk again, “The Reaper” is promising to adapt and show new wrinkles to his game.

“I’m 34 in December,” Whittaker noted. “I still have, I feel like some tricks up my sleeve. I still have some goals that I want to hit. Like I said, I am building some new skills. But that’s just how I look at things. Every obstacle and setback just makes me stronger, it makes the comeback better. I’m looking forward to getting back in there. I’m enjoying training. I’m excited for the next, what I could be.”

While Whittaker focuses on his recovery and plan to display a new and improved “Bobby Knuckles” next year, Chimaev has his sights set on the middleweight gold.

Although he’s yet to be confirmed as next in line over Sean Strickland, “Borz” appears to have plenty of support from his peers and the MMA masses when it comes to Du Plessis’ second defense of the 185-pound title.

Robert Whittaker Reveals Planned UFC Return Date After Crushing Loss To Khamzat Chimaev

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has his eyes on a mid-2025 return after repairing the damage he sustained at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev last month. Following two strong appearances in 2024 that saw him outpoint Paulo Costa and knock out the highly touted Ikram Aliskerov, Whittaker hoped to make it three on the […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has his eyes on a mid-2025 return after repairing the damage he sustained at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev last month.

Following two strong appearances in 2024 that saw him outpoint Paulo Costa and knock out the highly touted Ikram Aliskerov, Whittaker hoped to make it three on the bounce at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

But his pursuit of a rematch with current titleholder Dricus Du Plessis came to an emphatic halt at the hands of Chimaev, who added “The Reaper” to the list of victims on his undefeated record.

And the result was up there with the Chechen star’s most vicious in the UFC to date, as he dragged Whittaker down before displacing his front teeth with a brutal face crank in the very first round.

During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker provided an update on his status, revealing he underwent a procedure to remove and replace the damaged teeth — dental surgery that also uncovered a sizable cyst in the Australian’s jaw.

But the former champ is now on the mend, and he’s even eyeing a return to action as soon as May 2025.

“I’m going to give a bit of time. I’m not going to rush into the next fight, because there are some things I want to address,” Whittaker said. “I’m probably looking to return in June. June-ish? End of May? I don’t know. We’ll play with the dates next year.”

And when he does make the walk again, “The Reaper” is promising to adapt and show new wrinkles to his game.

“I’m 34 in December,” Whittaker noted. “I still have, I feel like some tricks up my sleeve. I still have some goals that I want to hit. Like I said, I am building some new skills. But that’s just how I look at things. Every obstacle and setback just makes me stronger, it makes the comeback better. I’m looking forward to getting back in there. I’m enjoying training. I’m excited for the next, what I could be.”

While Whittaker focuses on his recovery and plan to display a new and improved “Bobby Knuckles” next year, Chimaev has his sights set on the middleweight gold.

Although he’s yet to be confirmed as next in line over Sean Strickland, “Borz” appears to have plenty of support from his peers and the MMA masses when it comes to Du Plessis’ second defense of the 185-pound title.