Tag: Robert Whittaker

‘Hell Yeah, We Got Goku & Vegeta’ – Fans React As Israel Adesanya Teams Up With Two-Time Rival Ahead Of UFC Return

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills. Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances. Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he […]

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills.

Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances.

Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he first suffered a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, a fight where he also relinquished his middleweight crown. The downward trajectory continued at UFC 305 last August, where reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis handed him a submission defeat, deepening the slump for the once-dominant fighter.

“The Last Stylebender” is now gearing up to headline UFC Saudi Arabia, where he will face Nassourdine Imavov on Feb. 1 at the anb Arena in Riyadh. This highly anticipated showdown marks a notable change for the ex-champ, as it will be his first non-pay-per-view bout since July 2018.

With the fight just under a month away, Adesanya’s preparations are in full swing. In a surprising turn, he has brought in his former two-time adversary, Robert Whittaker, to assist with his training.

The 35-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi recently shared several photos and videos from his sparring sessions with “The Reaper” on social media.

“‘New year, new friends,” Adesanya wrote on X.

MMA fans responded to Adesanya’s sparring session with Whittaker, with many humorously celebrating the unexpected collaboration between the two fighters.

Adesanya and Whittaker first squared off at UFC 243 in October 2019, where “The Last Stylebender” clinched a stunning second-round knockout to seize the undisputed middleweight title.

Meanwhile, their second encounter took place at UFC 271 in February 2022, where the matchup was far more competitive. Despite Whittaker’s resilience, though, Adesanya ultimately gritted through the challenge and earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory to retain his championship.

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic Stunner

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic StunnerEchoes of Stone Cold Steve Austin. At UFC 300, Max Holloway delivered a jaw-dropping knockout in the final seconds…

Robert Whittaker Likens Max Holloway’s UFC 300 KO to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Iconic Stunner

Echoes of Stone Cold Steve Austin. At UFC 300, Max Holloway delivered a jaw-dropping knockout in the final seconds of his fight against Justin Gaethje, cementing his place as one of the sport’s most thrilling fighters. The matchup was a highly anticipated clash between two of the UFC’s most exciting competitors, and it delivered.

Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje

‘Blessed’ Max Holloway is well known for his superb boxing. He entered the octagon as the underdog, especially after his previous loss to Dustin Poirier in the lightweight division. Gaethje’s size and powerful leg strikes had many experts predicting victory for him. However, Holloway’s performance defied expectations. He showcased incredible speed, out-landing Justin Gaethje. Despite taking heavy shots, one of which knocked him down for the first time in his career, he pressed on.

In the fight’s final moments, Holloway mirrored a move he made against Ricardo Lamas years ago, calling Gaethje to the center of the octagon to throw down. With just one second left on the clock, Holloway landed a massive right hand that knocked Gaethje out cold, securing a stunning victory and the BMF title.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker couldn’t help but compare Holloway’s dramatic finish to the iconic Stone Cold Stunner, made famous by WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whittaker praised Holloway’s boldness, saying, “Holloway stone-cold him—just stone-colded him. Gaethje was gone.” Whittaker added that the way Holloway walked off after the knockout reminded him of the dramatic flair of a wrestling finisher.

The Stone Cold Stunner became Steve Austin’s signature in the 1990s and remains a beloved part of wrestling history. This is not the first time Robert Whittaker has shown love for Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Robert Whittaker Move up the Light Heavyweight? Former UFC Contender Says He Loves the Idea

Robert Whittaker Move up the Light Heavyweight? Former UFC Contender Says He Loves the IdeaIs it time for Robert Whittaker to move to light heavyweight? Despite holding down a spot in the middleweight…

Robert Whittaker Move up the Light Heavyweight? Former UFC Contender Says He Loves the Idea

Is it time for Robert Whittaker to move to light heavyweight?

Despite holding down a spot in the middleweight top five, ‘The Reaper’ finds himself in a tough spot after failing to see his hand raised against the division’s reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis, and suffering a brutal first-round submission loss against undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.

gettyimages 2181229426 612x612 2

As a result, Whittaker could be waiting a long time for another crack at 185-pound gold, leading some to speculate that he could high-tail it for light heavyweight where the contender’s pool is a lot thinner.

One man who loves the idea of Whittaker making the move is three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.

“I love the idea of Whittaker at 205 pounds,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I fully believe that he has the skills to become world champion. At 185, I think they’re going to play musical chairs there. I think that belt’s going to bounce around. I think we’re in the process of seeing that. Strick—Strickland was champion, and he dropped it. Du Plessis—Strick’s about to go get his belt back. It’s going to be kind of musical chairs.”

does Robert Whittaker have a path back to the middleweight title?

Already coming up short against Du Plessis, Chimaev, and Israel Adesanya on two separate occasions, there are very few paths back to the middleweight title for Robert Whittaker. The best-case scenario would see Sean Strickland take back the title from ‘DDP’ at UFC 312 on February 8, but even then, ‘The Reaper’ would still have to sit back and see if Strickland can fend off Chimaev who, by all accounts, will be the next man up.

gettyimages 2180754237 612x612 1

There’s always a trilogy fight against Adesanya, but with ‘The Last Stylebender’ already going two-up on Whittaker, there’s not much of a demand for the threequel.

And then there’s Whittaker’s lack of showmanship which isn’t doing him any favors according to ‘The American Gangster.’

“What I don’t know at 185 is a reasonable path back to the [title] opportunity. That’s another thing that gets very tough when you’ve been around a long time and you’ve fought everybody. It’s hard. And Whittaker doesn’t embrace the entertainment era that he’s living through.

“He largely doesn’t, because I hear Whittaker talk—he’s great. He’s a handsome guy. He’s got this great story. He doesn’t know those things. He doesn’t know he’s a cool guy. He’s one of… he’s one of these. And I love the idea of him going to 205 pounds. I can’t match him up right away, I gotta tell you. I don’t—I don’t have that match-up right away. Like, Robert Whittaker versus Anthony Smith is very interesting to me.”

Whittaker is 17-6 under the UFC banner with all but two of his victories coming inside the distance.

gettyimages 2158778987 612x612 1

Robert Whittaker ‘Playing With The Idea’ Of Light Heavyweight Switch: ‘I’m A Big Dude…’

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has firmly shut the door on the possibility of returning to welterweight, but he has left another door ajar… Whittaker will enter the new year off the back of a crushing defeat, having been submitted in the opening round by a brutal face crank at the hands of Khamzat […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has firmly shut the door on the possibility of returning to welterweight, but he has left another door ajar…

Whittaker will enter the new year off the back of a crushing defeat, having been submitted in the opening round by a brutal face crank at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi this past October.

While wins earlier in the year over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov had the Australian approaching a chance to regain the 185-pound crown, “The Reaper” is now out of the championship conversation for the time being.

And when he returns in 2025, it seems Whittaker is pondering the prospect of inserting himself into a different one.

During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker noted that a return to welterweight — the division he went 3-2 in under the UFC banner before switching to middleweight — is not on the cards. A move up, however, could be.

“Me, I wouldn’t go down. I can’t go down,” Whittaker said. “I’m still playing with the idea of going up to light heavy, dude. I’m a big dude, much bigger than people think I am. I don’t know.”

Should Whittaker follow through on that, he’d be chasing a man he was previously in pursuit of at 185 pounds.

After a brief stint on the middleweight throne, Alex Pereira secured two-division glory in just his second fight at light heavyweight. He’s since defended the gold on three occasions in 2024, establishing himself as one of the promotion’s leading stars.

Robert Whittaker Gives Strickland ‘Props’ For Sticking To His Guns, Predicts Du Plessis Rematch

Just over a year on from their first meeting, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland are set to meet in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Following his bounce back win over Paulo Costa in June, Strickland has remained confident that he deserved the opportunity to fight for the […]

Just over a year on from their first meeting, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland are set to meet in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Following his bounce back win over Paulo Costa in June, Strickland has remained confident that he deserved the opportunity to fight for the title again.

His first encounter with “Stillknocks” at UFC 297 went the way of the South African via a split decision and though the fight was close, there weren’t a ton of people calling for the rematch to take place. This was especially true following Khamzat Chimaev’s recent win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 where Du Plessis said himself that a matchup with the undefeated contender would excite him more than running it back with Strickland.

In a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his reaction to the fight announcement. The former champion took his hat off to Strickland for sticking to his guns and getting what he asked for even when it looked like it might slip away from him.

“I’m surprised Sean just literally sat out. Like everyone was laughing at him when he said, ‘I’m going to sit out till I get my title shot.’ Dude straight up got a title shot, props for that. You got to give it him, guy like straight up stuck by what he said.”

Despite this, Whittaker isn’t sure that Strickland will be able to make the adjustments needed to reclaim the middleweight title.

“In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different. Du Plessis is such a dog in there, he’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time? Okay because if we look at it, it doesn’t happen often but the challenger beats a champion by decision, okay. Du Plessis did that and now he’s a champion and that was a close first fight, you know what I mean. You see where I’m angling with this. I just don’t know what Sean can do differently to change the outcome from happening again.”

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: ‘Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded’

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Borz’ made…

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'

Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Borz’ made a pretty compelling case at UFC 308, scoring a quickfire submission victory over Whittaker. With the win, Chimaev moved to the No. 3 spot in the 185-pound rankings and appears to be well on his way to his first title opportunity inside the Octagon.

gettyimages 2181229426 612x612 2

However, the unbeaten Chechen monster may be waiting a bit after UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland the next title shot.

“Yes, [Strickland is still next],” White told reporters at a DWCS press conference in October.

White’s comments came weeks before Chimaev dropped jaws with his first-round neck-crank finish against ‘The Reaper’ in Abu Dhabi, leading many to suggest that ‘Borz’ be allowed to skip the line and walk straight into a scrap with ‘Stillknocks.’

Appearing on the MMArcade podcast with Jonny Roses, Whittaker echoed that same sentiment.

“I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded, ever.”

gettyimages 2180536853 612x612 1

Khamzat Chimaev likely to face winner of ‘dDP’ vs. Strickland 2 instead of jumping the line

Following his win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland made it clear that he planned to sit on the sidelines and wait for a rematch with Du Plessis. Clearly, Whittaker is not of fan of that strategy, but you can’t really blame Strickland for not wanting to put his spot at the front of the line at stake — especially after White confirmed he’s next.

gettyimages 2155668136 612x612 1

No official date for ‘DDP’ vs. Strickland 2 has been locked down. Originally, the promotion had hoped to take the sequel scrap to Du Plessis’ home country, South Africa. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is no longer the case after White indicated issues with locking down a venue.

dricus du plessis

No matter where Du Plessis and Strickland decide to run it back, Khamzat Chimaev will be watching and waiting.