Robert Whittaker reveals next middleweight fight could be his last: “I’m going to decide after this next fight”

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker remains interested in a move to 205 pounds.

‘The Reaper’ hasn’t been seen in action since a clash against Khamzat Chimaev last October at UFC 308. Robert Whittaker entered the title eliminator riding a wave of momentum, fresh off a first-round knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov in June. Sadly for the former middleweight champion, he was quickly taken down and submitted by ‘Borz’ in round one. Five years after losing the gold, Whittaker had suffered another setback.

Post-fight, the 34-year-old showed interest in a move to 205 pounds. While Robert Whittaker has never fought at light-heavyweight before, he believes he certainly has the frame for the division. However, despite that interest in moving up in weight, the former middleweight champion is staying at 185 pounds for the moment. Speaking on his MMArcade Podcast earlier this week, Whittaker discussed his plans to return to the cage.

During the discussion, ‘The Reaper’ again called for a clash against fellow former champion, Sean Strickland. For his part, ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off a unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis last month in a bid for UFC middleweight gold. Speaking on his podcast, Whittaker stated that a bout with Strickland would ideally go down this summer, at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

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Robert Whittaker says he’s gonna fight “at least” once more at middleweight before deciding whether he wants to stay or move up to light heavyweight

He also says he’d like to fight Sean Strickland at International Fight Week 👀

🎥 @MMArcadePodcastpic.twitter.com/hq3vBTg7q0

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 17, 2025

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker again teases light-heavyweight move

However, a possible fight with Sean Strickland could be Robert Whittaker’s final bout at 185 pounds. While the former UFC champion doesn’t want to commit to the idea just yet, he’ll make the decision after his next trip to the octagon. If Whittaker is moving up in weight, he wants to do it the right way.

“Yeah, I’m going to decide [on moving up to light-heavyweight] after this next fight.” Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker stated on his podcast earlier this week. “At the very least, at the very least [one more fight at 185 pounds]. Depending on, I want to really try and push the boundaries of the muscle-to-weight ratio and everything and see where we come up.”

He concluded, “[A fight with Sean Strickland next], that would be great. That would be great, at International Fight Week.”

What do you make of these comments from the former UFC middleweight champion? Do you want to see Robert Whittaker vs. Sean Strickland next?