Robert Whittaker News

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Kelvin Gastelum issues statement following UFC Vegas 24 loss to Robert Whittaker

Adam D Martin - April 18, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24. Gastelum stepped up on short notice to fight Whittaker on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 24, filling in for Paulo Costa. Whittaker and Gastelum previously coached TUF 28: Heavy Hitters and so they have trained for each other in the past. On Saturday, they finally met inside the Octagon, and the fight didn’t go as planned for Gastelum, as he just wasn’t as competitive as many expected him to be. Instead, Whittaker dominated the fight from bell-to-bell and won 50-45 on the judges’ scorecards. It was a fantastic performance by the Aussie, while for Gastelum it was a tough loss after he beat Ian Heinisch in his last fight.

Robert Whittaker, Joe Rogan
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker responds after Israel Adesanya refers to him as his “son” following win over Kelvin Gastelum

Adam D Martin - April 18, 2021

Robert Whittaker responded after UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya referred to him as his “son” following a win over Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker won a lopsided unanimous decision over Gastelum in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 24 card. The Aussie was able to outstrike Gastelum on the feet and also take him down and control him with his wrestling as he won his third straight fight inside the Octagon. It was a big win for Whittaker and it should put him in line to fight for the belt in his next fight. Speaking to the media following the event, Whittaker had a message for Adesanya, saying that he wants to fight him this fall in Australia.

Robert Whittaker, UFC Vegas 24
Robert Whittaker

UFC Vegas 24 Bonus Report: Robert Whittaker pockets $50k for beatdown of Kelvin Gastelum

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. The highly anticipated middleweight main event proved to be a one-sided contest, as Whittaker beatdown Gastelum for five straight rounds on route to a lopsided unanimous decision win. With that said, the former TUF 17 winner showed off his toughness and durability in tonight’s defeat.

UFC Vegas 24
Robert Whittaker

Pros react after Robert Whittaker defeats Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 24

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event was headlined by a key middleweight matchup featuring former champ Robert Whittaker taking on Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was originally slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.

UFC Vegas 24, Whittaker vs. Gastelum
Robert Whittaker

UFC Vegas 24: 'Whittaker vs. Gastelum' Live Results and Highlights

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was initially slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.

UFC Vegas 24
Robert Whittaker

UFC Vegas 24 weigh-in results: Headliners on point, but two fighters miss weight

Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021

The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 24 took place on Friday, and Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum made weight for the main event fight. In the headliner, Whittaker and Gastelum meet with a potential middleweight title shot on the line. Whittaker, the former champion, is coming off of back-to-back wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier to jump back into title contention after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019. As for Gastelum, he recently snapped a three-fight win streak with a unanimous decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. After Paulo Costa fell out of the fight with an illness, Gastelum volunteered to step in on short notice and the UFC gave him the opportunity. The winner of this bout will surely figure into the title discussions at 185lbs.

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker hoping to "dominate" Kelvin Gastelum, but expects "an absolute war"

Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021

Robert Whittaker is expecting a tough fight with Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night. Whittaker and Gastelum are set to headline UFC Vegas 24 in a very intriguing middleweight bout. Originally, Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa but a month out, the Brazilian pulled out of the fight and Gastelum stepped in on short notice.

UFC Vegas 24, Whittaker vs. Gastelum
Kelvin Gastelum

Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum

Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 24, Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum are finally set to meet. Whittaker enters the fight as a -265 favorite while the eighth-ranked middleweight is a +210 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Whittaker will get the job done as he is the better mixed martial artist.

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Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker expects to be "too much" for Kelvin Gastelum en route to second round stoppage

Cole Shelton - April 6, 2021

Robert Whittaker is confident he will beat Kelvin Gastelum on April 17. Whittaker and Gastelum were supposed to fight at UFC 234 for Whittaker’s middleweight title. But, on the day of the event, the champ was forced out of the bout. Now, in the main event of UFC Vegas 24, Gastelum is stepping up on short notice to face Whittaker.

Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker believes Kelvin Gastelum is one of his "hardest fights to date"

Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021

Robert Whittaker is well aware Kelvin Gastelum is a very tough fight for him. In the main event of UFC Vegas 24 on April 17, Whittaker is finally set to fight Gastelum. The No. 8 ranked middleweight is taking the fight on short notice after Paulo Costa was forced out of the scrap due to illness. It’s a very intriguing matchup given Gastelum was supposed to challenge Whittaker for the middleweight title a couple years ago. However, on the day of the fight, the champ was forced out of the matchup.

Robert Whittaker, Joe Rogan
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker says he has "a couple of things up my sleeve" for Israel Adesanya in potential rematch

Cole Shelton - March 19, 2021

Robert Whittaker knows he has to fight differently if he rematches Israel Adesanya. At UFC 243, Whittaker suffered a second-round knockout loss to Adesanya to lose his middleweight title. Since the loss, he rebounded nicely with a five-round decision win over Darren Till on Fight Island and followed that up with a decision over Jared Cannonier.

Robert Whittaker, UFC Vegas 24
Robert Whittaker

Opening odds released for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum

Adam Martin - March 17, 2021

The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming middleweight bout between longtime rivals Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on April 17, but Costa was forced out of the fight due to illness and replaced by Gastelum, who is taking the fight on short notice. Gastelum is coming off of a decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 just last month so he should be in shape and ready to go for this bout against Whittaker, who is coming off of back-to-back wins over Jared Cannonier and Darren Till.

UFC Vegas 24, Whittaker vs. Gastelum
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum set to headline April 17 event

Cole Shelton - March 16, 2021

Robert Whittaker will still headline the April 17 card after all. Late Monday night, it was revealed Paulo Costa was out of his fight against Whittaker due to ongoing complications from COVID-19. The hope for the Brazilian was to push the fight back a couple of weeks. However, that will not be the case. According to Contreas Legaspi and later confirmed by ESPN, Gastelum has agreed to step up on short notice to fight Whittaker.

Robert Whittaker, Khabib Nurmagomedov
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker and team request title rematch with Israel Adesanya after Paulo Costa fight falls apart

Adam D Martin - March 16, 2021

Team Robert Whittaker has requested a title rematch with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after the Paulo Costa fight fell apart. Whittaker was set to fight Costa in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on April 17, with the winner of that fight likely set to fight Adesanya for the belt. However, Costa was forced to pull out of the fight due to illness, which leaves Whittaker without an opponent. But if the Aussie’s team has their way, then they’ll be next for Adesanya either way.

Paulo Costa
Robert Whittaker

Paulo Costa forced out of UFC fight with Robert Whittaker

Christopher Taylor - March 15, 2021

Paulo Costa will no longer be fighting former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on April 17 as previously planned. After initial report from Ag.Fight suggested that the Costa vs. Whittaker bout was in jeopardy, MMAFighting has since confirmed that ‘The Eraser’ will no longer be competing at UFC Fight Night 188.

Robert Whittaker
UFC

Robert Whittaker in phenomenal shape ahead of Paulo Costa fight

Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is in phenomenal shape ahead of his upcoming showdown with Paulo Costa. Whittaker lost the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in 2019, but has since rebounded with a pair of impressive decision victories over top contenders in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. He’ll look to make it three in a row—and make his claim to another title shot truly undeniable—when he takes on the recent title challenger Costa on April 17.

Robert Whittaker, Joe Rogan
Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa opening betting odds released

Adam Martin - January 27, 2021

The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming middleweight bout between top contenders Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. It was announced this week that Whittaker and Costa will meet in a five-round, non-title main event at a UFC Fight Night event scheduled for April 17. Both men had conveyed interest in an interim or vacant title fight with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya fighting up at 205lbs in his next bout, but the promotion decided to just make it a non-title five-rounder, with the winner likely in line for a title shot.

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Robert Whittaker

Report | Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa headlines UFC Fight Night card in April

Adam Martin - January 25, 2021

A middleweight bout between contenders Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa is reportedly being targeted for a UFC Fight Night card on April 17. Sherdog.com first reported that Whittaker vs. Costa is being targeted for the April 17 date, though a location has not been confirmed yet. The report suggests Las Vegas as a possible destination for the event. But with coronavirus-related travel restrictions, especially for international fighters, UFC president Dana White recently admitted that he isn’t sure where fights are going to be held in the coming months.