Robert Whittaker News

Susan Cox - December 1, 2021

A highly anticipated rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is apparently in jeopardy for UFC 271. Adesanya (21-1 MMA) and Whittaker (23-5 MMA) had originally squared off for the promotions undisputed middleweight title in October of 2019, with ‘Stylebender’ emerging victorious by way of a second round knockout.

Adam D Martin - October 6, 2021

Two title fights featuring Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane and Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 are being targeted for UFC 270. According to the French outlet “La Sueur,” UFC 270 is being planned to take place on January 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight is not official yet, but the UFC plans on having the UFC heavyweight title unified that night between the champ Ngannou and the interim champ Gane. As for the co-main event, the plan is to have to rematch between Adesanya and Whittaker. Overall, with these two title fights at the top of the bill, UFC 270 is shaping up to be a stacked card already. MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter added the following:

Adam D Martin - September 17, 2021

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is being targeted for January. Adesanya defeated Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision back in June at UFC 263, and the hope was that the UFC would be able to get the middleweight champ back in the cage one more time before 2021 was up. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel and quarantine rules for fighters in Australia and New Zealand, it has become difficult for the UFC to get this fight booked. In fact, as White told The Daily Telegraph in a recent interview, he is now targeting the Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 fight to take place next year.

Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021

The highly anticipated UFC middleweight title fight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker has reportedly been pushed back until 2022. Dana White and company were originally looking to book Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 for the main event of UFC 268 on November 6 at Madision Square Garden in New York. However, the States new pandemic-related restrictions have forced the promotion to make a change of plans.

Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021

Robert Whittaker dubbed UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s UFC 263 performance as average, and “The Last Stylebender” responded. Adesanya defeated rival Marvin Vettori in the pair’s rematch as last weekend’s UFC 263 pay-per-view event in Glendale, Arizona. Adesanya was able to utilize his superior striking and showed improvements in his grappling as he was able to win a unanimous decision over the Italian. Vettori, of course, only got the title shot against Adesanya after Whittaker was forced to decline it due to the fight’s close proximity to his matchup against Kelvin Gastelum in April. With Whittaker unable to take the fight at that time, Vettori stepped up and got the title shot instead, only Adesanya was able to go in there and win handily.

Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021

UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum says Robert Whittaker has a “real chance at regaining that middleweight title” from champ Israel Adesanya. Gastelum has fought both Whittaker and Adesanya so he knows exactly what both men bring to the table. In the wake of Adesanya’s win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, which improved his record as a UFC middleweight to a perfect 10-0, the next fight to make for the 185lbs title seems to be Adesanya against Whittaker. And if you ask Gastelum what he thinks about that potential title fight, he thinks there’s a good chance the champ loses.

Adam Martin - June 13, 2021

Robert Whittaker is up next for UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his next title defense, confirmed UFC president Dana White. Whittaker was expected to be next in line to fight Adesanya following three straight wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum, but he had to turn down the title shot against Adesanya at UFC 263 for several reasons. According to Whittaker, the turnaround following the Gastelum fight in April was too soon for him to fight again in June, especially since he needed to quarantine once he got home to Australia. With Whittaker not being able to take the fight for June 12, the UFC instead got Marvin Vettori to fight Adesanya, and the champ defended his title with a unanimous decision victory at UFC 263.

Adam D Martin - May 3, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker was criticized by coach Eugene Bareman for turning down a title shot against Israel Adesanya. After defeating Kelvin Gastelum in lopsided fashion at UFC Vegas 24, it was fully expected that Whittaker would get the next title shot against Adesanya. However, the promotion announced that it will be Marvin Vettori who next takes on Adesanya at UFC 263 on June 12. Whittaker later explained the reasons that he was unable to go so soon because he’s banged up, and the UFC decided to go with Vettori. But for Bareman, it was a bad call.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2021

Robert Whittaker gave a hilarious response when asked if hoped Israel Adesanya would beat Marvin Vettori in their scheduled rematch at UFC 263. After Whittaker (23-5 MMA) scored a dominant victory over Kelvin Gastelum last weekend, which extended his current winning streak to three in a row, many fans expected that a rematch with reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya would be next for the Aussie.

Adam Martin - April 25, 2021

Robert Whittaker explained why it was impossible for him to accept a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 263. Whittaker defeated Kelvin Gastelum at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 24 event to improve to 3-0 since losing his belt to Adesanya at UFC 243. The Aussie was widely expected to be next in line to fight for the title, but the UFC did an about-face this week and gave Marvin Vettori the title shot instead. That decision led to a lot of chatter amongst fight fans, who believed that Whittaker should have been the next man in line. But according to Whittaker, he actually was offered the fight, only the conditions made the fight impossible to take.

Harry Kettle - April 20, 2021

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that he believes Robert Whittaker should be next in line to face Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. Whittaker is coming off the back of an impressive win over Kelvin Gastelum this past weekend with many believing it’s the best he’s ever looked in the UFC. The victory goes nicely alongside his recent successes against Darren Till and Jared Cannonier with many believing he’s the natural No. 1 contender at 185 pounds.

Adam D Martin - April 19, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker issued a statement following his unanimous decision win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 24. In one of his most complete performances to date, Whittaker won a lopsided unanimous decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 24 card. Whittaker outstruck Gastelum on the feet and he also utilized his wrestling in order to mix things up and take Gastelum out of his element. It was one of Whittaker’s best performances in the Octagon to date as he picked up his third straight victory. It was the kind of win that could earn him a title shot rematch against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his next fight.

Adam D Martin - April 18, 2021

UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker shared his take on Jake Paul knocking out Ben Askren, saying that “I guess nobody saw that coming.” It just so happened that Whittaker’s fight against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Vegas 24 came at the same time as Paul made the walk to fight Askren. Fortunately for fight fans, the Paul vs. Askren fight didn’t last very long, so they were able to watch Whittaker put on a masterclass against Gastelum right afterward. Of course, since both main events were happening at the same time, Whittaker was asked by the media about the fight. Although Whittaker couldn’t watch it live, he heard Paul knocked out Askren, and “Bobby Knuckles” even suggested that he could be the next man to fight Paul.

Adam D Martin - April 18, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24. Gastelum stepped up on short notice to fight Whittaker on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 24, filling in for Paulo Costa. Whittaker and Gastelum previously coached TUF 28: Heavy Hitters and so they have trained for each other in the past. On Saturday, they finally met inside the Octagon, and the fight didn’t go as planned for Gastelum, as he just wasn’t as competitive as many expected him to be. Instead, Whittaker dominated the fight from bell-to-bell and won 50-45 on the judges’ scorecards. It was a fantastic performance by the Aussie, while for Gastelum it was a tough loss after he beat Ian Heinisch in his last fight.

Adam D Martin - April 18, 2021

Robert Whittaker responded after UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya referred to him as his “son” following a win over Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker won a lopsided unanimous decision over Gastelum in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 24 card. The Aussie was able to outstrike Gastelum on the feet and also take him down and control him with his wrestling as he won his third straight fight inside the Octagon. It was a big win for Whittaker and it should put him in line to fight for the belt in his next fight. Speaking to the media following the event, Whittaker had a message for Adesanya, saying that he wants to fight him this fall in Australia.

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. The highly anticipated middleweight main event proved to be a one-sided contest, as Whittaker beatdown Gastelum for five straight rounds on route to a lopsided unanimous decision win. With that said, the former TUF 17 winner showed off his toughness and durability in tonight’s defeat.

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event is headlined by a key middleweight matchup featuring former title holder Robert Whittaker taking on Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was initially slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.

Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was initially slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.