Robert Whitaker remains at middleweight as he prepares to face Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris. Should he win that battle, it’s possible he’ll still. Today we will discuss about Robert Whittaker: Next fight| Record| Injury| Gym| Sherdog.
Robert Whittaker: Next fight| Record| Injury| Gym| Sherdog
Robert John Whitaker (born 20 December 1990) is a New Zealand-born Australian professional mixed martial artist. He is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Middleweight Champion. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Whitaker was a contender in the first series of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smash and won the welterweight tournament . Whitaker became interim middleweight champion after winning the title at UFC 213; He was promoted as the undisputed champion after Georges Saint-Pierre vacated the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2017. As of 19 January 2021, that is.
| Born | Robert John Whittaker 20 December 1990 Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Other names | The Reaper Bobby Knuckles |
| Residence | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Division |
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| Reach | 73 in (185 cm)[1] |
Next fight
Australian MMA star Robert Whitaker’s postponed fight with Italy’s Marvin Vettori is back, and on September 3, UFC Fight Night will take place in Paris – the promotion’s first event in France.
1 middleweight contender and former division champion Whitaker (23–6) was originally scheduled to face No. 3rd-ranked Vettori (18–5–1) in a few weeks’ time at UFC 275 in Singapore.
Record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date |
| Loss | 23-6 | Israel Adesanya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 271 | 12/02/2022 |
| Win | 23-5 | Kelvin Gastelum | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN 22 – Whittaker vs. Gastelum | 17/04/2021 |
| Win | 22-5 | Jared Cannonier | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 254 | 24/10/2020 |
| Win | 21-5 | Darren Till | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN 14 – Whittaker vs. Till | 25/07/2020 |
| Loss | 20-5 | Israel Adesanya | KO (punches) | UFC 243 | 05/10/2019 |
| Win | 20-4 | Yoel Romero | Decision (split) | UFC 225 | 09/06/2018 |
| Win | 19-4 | Yoel Romero | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 213 | 08/07/2017 |
| Win | 18-4 | Ronaldo Souza | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis | 15/04/2017 |
| Win | 17-4 | Derek Brunson | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson | 27/11/2016 |
Injury
Many fans criticized Robert Whitaker for pulling out of a title fight again on short notice. But, it is strange to blame Whitaker as he went straight into surgery after withdrawing from UFC 234. Whitaker went on to elaborate on what happened and how the fight happened later in his podcast, saying:
“I tried my best. I had this in my mind that I would fight the longest. It wasn’t until that guy comes out and goes like we’re gonna have you surgery in half an hour. I was like, I feel like I can’t fight anymore. It was like 5 a.m. and I haven’t had water since 3 a.m. I was on drapes and a heart monitor and everything. That’s crazy.”
Robert Whitaker explained the nature of the disease and how it happened:
“It wasn’t my pressure or tension hernia like a normal hernia. It was an internal hernia. And it’s more because of trauma and scar tissue on the intestine and things like that. They don’t come on for the same reasons.”
Gym
During his seven-year stint in the UFC, Whitaker has been cornered by many different coaches. While he was training at Tristar Gym in Canada, he had coaches including Firas Zahabi and Conrad Pla, against Brad Tavares, Whitaker’s father, Jack.
However, despite such changes, two individuals remain fairly permanent in Whitaker’s coaching staff. The first of these is Fabrisio Itte.
Itte and Whitaker met about six years ago and developed a relationship with each other very quickly. As Whitaker’s 170-pound term ended, following losses to Court McGee and Stephen Thompson, the Australian began to work more closely with Itte, and Whitaker’s trips to Canada became less and less. Itte first cornered Whitaker in a 2014 bout against Clint Hester, marking the first bout of “The Reaper” at 185-pounds, and he has remained a permanent fixture ever since.
Sherdog
While Robert Whitaker could have been more competitive with Israel Adesaniya in his rematch at UFC 271 earlier this year, it doesn’t look like a third meeting will happen anytime soon, if at all.
This is according to the current middleweight champion, who ruled out the possibility of a trilogy with Whitaker during a recent UFC press conference. Adesanya is currently gearing up to defend a 185-pound belt against Jared Cannonnier at the UFC 276 headliner on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“He’s a great fighter, I’ll give it to him,” Adesanya said of Whitaker. “But I know how that book ends. I’ve already read that book twice. The first time was a quick read. The second time a little longer.
“He’s probably going to be on top for a while. If we fight again, I know how the book ends. So I’m excited about this next fight, some new blood, that I’ve never seen before. Didn’t fight. If [Whitaker] wants him to go to 205, see what he’s about, maybe try a little. I don’t like to read the same book over and over.”
Cannonier, a former heavyweight and light heavyweight competitor, has won five of six Octagon appearances since dropping to 185 pounds. While Adesanya is inspired to take on a new face, he doesn’t necessarily see Cannoneer as his toughest challenger. In fact, he predicts an opening night for “The Killa Gorilla” on July 2.
“Everyone is a tough challenge. He still possesses that strength, so I can’t ignore him,” Adesanya said. “But I don’t think he is the toughest challenge. I really think I’ll take it easy.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to look a lot like [Paulo] Costa’s fight.”
