Robert Whittaker is almost certain his next fight will be at 205 pounds.
A surefire Hall of Famer whenever he retires, Whittaker has accomplished more than most fighters could ever dream of. Joining the UFC in 2012 as The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes welterweight winner, the man affectionately dubbed “Bobby Knuckles” bumped up to middleweight in 2014, where he’s had enormous success, even winning the UFC title in 2017. But all good things must come to an end, and it appears Whittaker is ready to once again move up in weight.
“Definitely, I’m coming back in June,” Whittaker told Ariel Helwani.
“I don’t want to split my attention between the craft, the fighting, my next fight, and broadcasting and traveling, and stuff. I want to lock in. So, after I get back from Vegas and doing this, I’m going to lock in, give myself a proper three months, three-four-ish months to work on some things — which I’ve been doing anyway, but I want to come into the next fight different, because I don’t know, people have been watching my style for too long. I think it’s time for a change. …
“Definitely not down. … The last couple of cuts have been hard. I know the growing trend is, ‘Rob’s a small middleweight,’ but I’m just short with stumpy arms. I’m short for the division anyway, so there’s not much difference going up. They’re taller than me down in middleweight.
“I’m a big guy. People don’t realize how long it takes me to get down to the weight. … [I weigh] like, 235 [pounds].”
While the bulk of his career success has come at middleweight, Whittaker is 35 years old and has been teasing a possible move up for some time. Now on a two-fight losing streak at 185, a change in weight classes may open up more opportunities for the former champion.
“I feel like the division is open,” Whittaker said. “I feel like there are some good fights to be had. I feel like there’s a lot of guys that I can — my skill set can prevail on. But like I said, wait and see. We’re going to have some conversations with some people this week and lock things in after.”
But it’s not just his current position at middleweight and the landscape at 205 that appeals to Whittaker. “The Reaper” doesn’t have many years left in the sport, and he wants to spend his remaining time in the game having fun, not killing himself to make it to fights.
“I’m at a point where I could be convinced out of it,” Whittaker said. “That’s what a lot of the break was about, as well. ‘What do I do? Do I want to keep doing this?’ I just feel so weak at the end of the camp, at the ‘85 camp. And fight week, I’m eating nothing to get down to a point where I can cut the water. It takes a lot of the fun out of it. …
“[I’m] 90 percent there. …
“There’s no soul searching. It’s just trying to make it a bit more enjoyable. I’m getting older. The weight cuts suck even more. Also, with the fight-style changes, I think that the changes will be better from a heavier position. There’s a lot of reasons why I want to.”
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Honestly, Whittaker is right. Look at the light heavyweight rankings right now. That division is BAD. I’m kind of surprised Adesanya hasn’t moved up already, and if RDR loses his next one, he’s almost certainly moving up. Every 185er not in contention should bail to 205.
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