"I am so good at middleweight"- Robert Whittaker reveals what he needs to accomplish before a move to light heavyweightÂ
Robert Whittaker is not planning to move up to light heavyweight anytime soon.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani for The MMA Hour, Whittaker stated that he had given some thought to the idea of moving up to 205 lb. However, the 31-year-old added that he was hoping to earn one more shot at middleweight gold before considering the move:
"I've considered it [moving to light heavyweight] because going up is definitely the option, not going down... But the thing is though, I just feel like I'm so good at middleweight, you know. I've got the [weight] cut all down, my strength versus cardio versus speed is just on point. Yeah, I feel like I'll lose some of that if I move up to 205. I think I'm gonna try and just work my up to a title shot one more time here and then, play with the idea afterwards."
Watch Whittaker's full interview with Ariel Helwani below:
If Whittaker does move up to light heavyweight, it will be his second division change in the promotion. Whittaker started his UFC career as a welterweight and then moved up to be a 185 lb fighter.
Robert Whittaker now has two losses against Israel Adesanya
Robert Whittaker has now competed against middleweight champ Israel Adesanya on two different occasions and has come up short both times.
The pair went toe-to-toe for the first time at UFC 243. 'The Reaper' came out too aggressive in that fight and got finished in the second round by 'The Last Stylebender'.
Their second encounter took place at UFC 271. This time, Whittaker was a lot more patient and calculated in his approach. The rematch went the full 25-minute distance but the Australian still failed to get his hand raised in the end as Adesanaya scored a unanimous decision victory.
In between the two bouts, Robert Whittaker racked up an amazing three-fight win streak against top contenders. Now, with two losses against the champ, his road back to the title will be harder than ever.