“The Reaper” is ready for a new challenge.
Former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has officially set his sights on a move to Light Heavyweight, signaling a late-career shake-up after more than a decade competing at 185 pounds.
Whittaker began his UFC run at Welterweight, fighting six times at 170 pounds before moving up to Middleweight — a decision that changed his career. He went on to capture the interim UFC Middleweight title, which was later promoted to undisputed status, and competed 19 times in the division.
But after falling out of the title picture — and riding a two-fight skid — the 35-year-old believes it’s time to test himself at 205 pounds.
“I’m going to give it a go,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “I know a lot of naysayers, a lot of things on the internet saying ‘small this, small that.’ Shut up, dude. I want to give it a go. I’m on the tail end of my career, so like I got to try rather than just thinking about what ifs.”
Whittaker is coming off a razor-close split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder, preceded by a brutal stoppage defeat against Khamzat Chimaev that left him with a broken jaw. While he insists he can still make 185 pounds, he’s questioning whether the weight cut is preventing him from performing at his best.
“I’ve been playing with the idea for a long time,” Whittaker said. “During the break, I was training at a heavier weight. I want to lock in and move into this weight division. There’s no doubt in my mind I could make middleweight. I can make it still, I can lose the weight, but I just don’t know if I’m getting the best out of myself, having to cut that weight. The camp performance kind of really suffers on the back end of a weight cut, and a lot of fighters can testify that.”
As for a return date, he hopes to fight this summer, a time of the year that he often fights.
“I want to give myself the appropriate amount of time to really get all the gears going again,” Whittaker said. “Especially if I’m moving up to 205, I want to adjust to the weight. I want to perform at the weight. I want to build some muscle, etc. I want to give myself like a decent leg of work, like a good four months to prep and come in there at my best.”
While he may be undersized compared to the division’s biggest Light Heavyweights, the landscape at 205 pounds is so weak that he’ll probably find success.
Perhaps a showdown with fellow veteran Nikita Krylov could be next.
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