Following his recent decision loss to middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya at UFC 271 “Bobby Knuckles” seems to be in good spirits. He’s been active on social media and he’s even making public interview appearances.
However, it looks like Whittaker is reassessing whether his future lies at middleweight or whether a divisional weight jump is on the cards.
In a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Robert Whittaker said
“I can definitely see myself fighting at 205. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, just because I have to cut to middleweight, and cutting sucks,”
Robert Whittaker
This wouldn’t be the first time that “The Reaper” has moved up a weight class. Following his KO loss to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 170, he decided that the weight cut to 170 lbs was too much, and it was restricting his ability to fulfill his potential.
This move proved hugely successful, as Whittaker went on a 9-fight win streak, eventually claiming the UFC middleweight championship belt when he defeated Yoel Romero.
The jump from middleweight to light heavyweight is over double that from welterweight to middleweight & light heavyweight would present new challenges for the former middleweight king. However, Whittaker is still only 31 years old, so he potentially has a good few years left in his career in order to make a good run at the LHW title.
The full interview on Submission Radio can be found below:
