Robert Whittaker News

Robert-Whittaker
UFC

VIDEO | Robert Whittaker wins GQ Sportsman of the Year

Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqKUWXFHHIK/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=13x9w8k1c6l85 “Alright, the next award winner…is one of the best pound-4-pound fighters in the world. But, there was talk earlier about what it means to be a gentleman. And he is the absolute definition of the word.

Robert Whittaker

Israel Adesanya explains how he will beat Robert Whittaker

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018

Israel Adesanya looks more and more like a future UFC middleweight title challenger with every passing fight. In fact, after his UFC 230 execution of long-time contender Derek Brunson, his fighting for the title in the near future looks less like a likelihood and more like a downright certainty. The UFC middleweight title is currently held by Australia’s Robert Whittaker. Provided Whittaker defeats his next challenger Kelvin Gastelum, who he’ll meet at UFC 234 in late January, he could easily find himself locked in the cage with the Nigerian Kiwi Israel Adesanya soon thereafter.

Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gasteum, UFC 234
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum official for UFC 234 in Melbourne

Tom Taylor - November 13, 2018

Earlier this month, ESPN reported that a middleweight title fight between reigning champ Robert Whittaker and surging contender Kelvin Gastelum was headed to UFC 234 on February 10 in Melbourne, Australia (February 9 in North America). The promotion has now made this booking official.

Chris Weidman
Robert Whittaker

Chris Weidman shares his prediction for Kelvin Gastelum vs. Robert Whittaker

Chris Taylor - November 3, 2018

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will return to the octagon at tonight’s UFC 230 event in New York for a fight with former Strikeforce title holder Ronaldo Souza. If he can score an impressive victory over “Jacare” this evening at Madison Square Garden, Chris Weidman believes that his next fight would surely have to be for the promotions middleweight title.

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker responds to Kelvin Gastelum's claim that he won't be the same after Romero wars

Tom Taylor - September 4, 2018

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s last two fights — both of which pitted him against Yoel Romero — have been absolute wars. In these fights, both he and Romero sustained incredible amounts of punishment, yet they both somehow managed to survive to the final bell each time. In the opinion of Kelvin Gastelum, who served as a coach opposite Robert Whittaker on the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter, and will battle the champion sometime in the new year, Whittaker might not be the same after these wars with Romero. Gastelum opined on this topic at a July media scrum.

Robert Whittaker, Joe Rogan
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker shares timeframe for Kelvin Gastelum fight

Tom Taylor - August 29, 2018

The newest season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will be coached by UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Kelvin Gastelum will debut tonight. Once the show has been wrapped up, Whittaker is expected to defend his title against Gastelum — though the setting of this fight has not yet been determined. Speaking to reporters in LA this week, Whittaker updated on the hand injuries that he’s been dealing with, and gave a rough timetable for his anticipated return to action.

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker on getting title shots after missing weight, 'It's not fair'

Drake Riggs - August 27, 2018

Missing weight is never a good thing in the combat sports world. Which makes missing weight and then earning a title shot afterward a bit questionable. UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker happens to agree.

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker targets February return for Kelvin Gastelum fight

Drake Riggs - July 16, 2018

The UFC’s middleweight king Robert Whittaker can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries. Now he expects he won’t fight until next year at the earliest. Despite breaking his hand once again in his second encounter with Yoel Romero at UFC 225, Whittaker was has been announced as one of the coaches for season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero
Scraps of the Month

BJPENN.COM's Scraps of the Month for June 2018

Tom Taylor - July 3, 2018

There is a special place in the heart of every MMA fan for a good, old-fashioned scrap… Those frenetic fights like Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua I, Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II, and Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi, that hammer their way into our memories and never leave. At the end of each month, BJPENN.COM honors the best scraps of the month, from the UFC’s Octagon, to the Rizin ring, to the cages of regional promotions all over the world.

Robert Whittaker, Chris Weidman
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker eyeing title defense against Chris Weidman

Tom Taylor - July 2, 2018

Over the last few weeks, middleweight contenders Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Weidman have been verbally sparring over who deserves the next middleweight title shot. Now, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s team seems to have decided for them. According to Whittaker’s manager Titus Day, Whittaker is hoping to defend his title against the former champion Weidman at UFC 231 in November, which is expected to occur inside Madison Square Garden in Weidman’s native New York.

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero
USADA

Yoel Romero responds to Robert Whittaker's comments about his "magic" transformation

Tom Taylor - June 28, 2018

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker felt that Yoel Romero changed quite significantly between their first and second fights. According to Whittaker, Romero felt more or less normal when they first fought, and more like “metal” or “concrete” when they met for a second time at UFC 225 earlier this month. “When I was punching and kicking him [at UFC 225] he felt like metal — like a dude made out of concrete, it was a ridiculous,” Whittaker said on Grange TV.  “I fought him a year ago, and he didn’t feel like concrete. Not like that.”

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Colby Covington
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker comments on Yoel Romero's "magic" changes between first and second fights

Tom Taylor - June 22, 2018

Yoel Romero pushed himself into a state of extreme dehydration in an effort to make weight for his UFC 225 showdown with middleweight champ Robert Whittaker — but unfortunately, he still missed weight anyway. Amazingly, Romero showed no ill-effects of his brutal weight cut in the fight itself. In fact, he looked incredible, ultimately giving up a debatable, split decision to the champ.

Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker
Yoel Romero

Robert Whittaker explains what it's like to fight Yoel Romero: "he felt like steel"

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2018

Yoel Romero has now been compared to steel by two former opponents. The first man to compare Romero to steel was former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Now, reigning UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has borrowed this metaphor, using it to describe the incredibly uncomfortable experience of fighting the Cuban behemoth. “This time, he felt like steel,” Whittaker told The Daily Telegraph of his second and most recent fight with Romero, which headlined the stacked UFC 225 last Saturday night. “I was punching and kicking him but it wasn’t doing any damage. He was walking forward through everything. It was weird.”

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Colby Covington
Yoel Romero

Robert Whittaker addresses possible trilogy fight with Yoel Romero

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2018

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker now holds two wins over fearsome middleweight contender Yoel Romero. Both, however, were competitive and truly thrilling fights. Given the close nature of the pair’s two fights — particularly the latter, which headlined UFC 225 last weekend — there’s been widespread chatter about a potential third fight between the two. Whittaker, however, isn’t so sure a third fight is necessary. The Australian champion addressed a potential trilogy fight with Romero on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero

Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero issues statements on unforgettable UFC 225 war

Tom Taylor - June 11, 2018

On Saturday night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 225, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and fearsome middleweight contender Yoel Romero engaged in a truly incredible five-round fight. Though the title was not actually on the line, as Romero missed weight for the bout, the two middleweight talents fought with the kind of verve and intensity that ensured their battle will never be forgotten. In the end, Whittaker won this jaw-dropping fight via split decision. While not everybody agreed with the judges’ scoring of the fight, Whittaker is confident he deserved the W. The champ commented on the fight in a classy, post-fight statement on Instagram.

Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Colby Covington
Yoel Romero

MMA community reacts to Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero's thrilling UFC 225 war

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Last night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 225, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top middleweight contender Yoel Romero met for a second time — though Romero was not eligible to win the title due to a slight weigh-in miss. The pair’s main event showdown would go down as one of the very best fights of the year, complete with several near-stoppages, and some truly incredible momentum shifts. In the end, Whittaker would win this bout with a somewhat controversial split decision, moving to 2-0 over the fearsome Cuban in the process. That being said, there are really no losers in a war of this kind, which truly riveted the MMA community from beginning to end.

Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker
UFC 225

Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero remains UFC 225 main event after weigh-in controversy

Drake Riggs - June 8, 2018

In today’s MMA world, the excitement or…disappointment often starts with the weigh-ins. And today was no different. Initially, one half of the main event’s title fight rematch, Yoel Romero weighed in at 186 pounds which is one pound over the 185 pound middleweight limit for championship fights.

Georges St-Pierre, Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Former champ Georges St-Pierre heaps praise on current champ Robert Whittaker

Tom Taylor - June 8, 2018

In the opinion of former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre, current UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker is the perfect ambassador for the sport of MMA. The Canadian MMA legend gave his take on the Australian champion in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. “He’s a great example and a perfect role model for the sport of mixed martial arts – and you cannot have a better ambassador for the sport,” St-Pierre said. “You guys have the dream guy coming from Australia to represent you.”