Former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has confirmed he’s open to a possible gentle heavyweight transfer within the close to future, however first desires to share the Octagon with fellow ex-champion, Sean Strickland as quickly as UFC 317 in June.
Whittaker, who has but to make good on a rumored early-year return, has been out of motion since he co-headlined UFC 307 final October.
And struggling a surprising opening spherical loss, Robert Whittaker was submitted by the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev with a devastating face crank, struggling notable jaw and facial injury within the course of.
Weighing up a possible gentle heavyweight transfer within the close to future amid hyperlinks to a combat with then-champion, Alex Pereira — Whittaker, who featured as little as welterweight in his UFC tenure, has sights mounted on a June return subsequent at the least.
Robert Whittaker continues to weigh up gentle heavyweight transfer
Discussing a possible 205lbs beginning within the close to future, Whittaker revealed on the MMArcade podcast how he desires to nonetheless combat Strickland at middleweight first — as quickly as Worldwide Struggle Week, earlier than weighing up his choices afterwards.
“I’m going to decide [on a light heavyweight move] after this next fight,” Robert Whittaker stated. “At the very least [one more fight at middleweight], at the very least. Depending on, like, I’m going to really try and push the boundaries of muscle to weight ratio and everything to see where we come up.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWd8obPcc0&ab_channel=MMArcadePodcast
Himself out of motion since February, former middleweight champion, Strickland failed in his bid to reclaim the crown in a one-sided unanimous determination loss in opposition to South African rival, Dricus du Plessis — in his rematch with their common-foe.
Whittaker himself confronted off with Pretoria native, du Plessis again in 2023, struggling a shocking second spherical knockout loss to the present champion in one other title eliminator for the Auckland-born favourite.
