Robert Whittaker laughs off a potential fight against Conor McGregor at welterweight
Robert Whittaker has no intention of returning to the welterweight division, even if it involves facing Conor McGregor.
Whittaker was set to face Paul Costa at UFC 284, but the fight was shelved after Costa withdrew due to failed negotiations for a fresh contract with the promotion.
No troll job. Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker will NOT fight at UFC 284 in February, per sources. More info coming to ESPN. https://t.co/LWTAyKgSUL
Appearing at a recent press conference ahead of the upcoming UFC fight event, the former UFC middleweight champion responded to a question about dropping down a weight class for a potential fight with McGregor. He said he's too far away from the welterweight weight limit to even consider it.
Whittaker also cited that he is currently overweight for the division, making a return to welterweight impossible:
"[Laughs] No! no, I'm not. Because have you seen the size of me, brother? look at these arms mate [laughs]... I would have to stop eating from now to make the weight division... It's no way"
Check out Whittaker's response below:
Robert Whittaker was last seen in action at UFC Fight Night 209, where he fought Marvin Vettori and secured a decision win against the Italian fighter. Whittaker currently holds a pro-fight record of 25 wins, of which 10 came via knockout, five via submission, and two via first-round finishes. The Kiwi fighter has lost only six times in his career so far.
Robert Whittaker is willing to fight Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev recently challenged Robert Whittaker to a fight on Instagram, and Whittaker responded positively, saying he is ready to take on the challenge.
Speaking to Submission Radio, 'The Reaper' stated that the fight is worth making. The No.2-ranked middleweight said:
"The reason why it would be a fight that’s worth making is because he’s riding the hype train, and because UFC want to bring this guy, who’s the boogeyman to a lot of guys, up in the rankings. They want him to fight me at the top of the chain so that it opens the door to whoever wins, and then jump behind. That’s the only reason it makes sense."
Check out Whittaker's response to Chimaev's callout in the video below [8:00 mark]: