Robert Whittaker

Whittaker was born in Auckland, New Zealand, at Middlemore Hospital. His father is an Australian of European ancestry, while his mother is Mori and Samoan. Shortly after moving to Australia, Whittaker’s father enrolled Robert, then seven, and his brother in a Goju-ryu Karate school to teach them self-discipline and self-defense.

After a little more than eight years of training and achieving his black belt, his father offered him the option of switching to another sport or abandoning karate totally. When his brother dropped out, Robert elected to join a Hapkido gym led by Henry Perez after moving to Menai.

Not long after, Perez converted his gym into an MMA facility. Whittaker began training in MMA because he had no other option and was quickly hooked, preferring MMA over Rugby League as his favored sport.

Whittaker joined Australia’s Xtreme Fighting Championships in 2008 and made his professional debut on March 14, 2009, against fellow pro debutant Chris Tallowin. Whittaker won the bout via first-round Knockout. Whittaker resumed his career with Cage Fighting Championships, where he went 6-0 from 2009 to 2011, including a significant victory over fellow TUF: Smashes cast member Ben Alloway.

Whittaker lost his first fight on October 30, 2011, when he traveled to Cotai, Macau for Legend Fighting Championships 6: he fought Hoon Kim and lost through submission in the first round. Whittaker rebounded from the defeat by winning two straight bouts before succumbing to his second loss against Jesse Juarez, dropping his overall record to 9-2.

The Ultimate Fighter

Whittaker’s coach, Henry Perez, nominated him for the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, which paired a team of eight Australians against a team of eight men from the United Kingdom, and he was chosen as one of the cast members.

Whittaker faced up against Luke Newman in his debut bout at the event. At 19 seconds, Whittaker delivered a punch flush on Newman’s chin, putting him unconscious for many minutes. His victory advanced him to the semifinal round. Whittaker was also awarded an extra $25,000 for “Knockout of the Season.”

Whittaker faced substitute fighter and Team Australia member Xavier Lucas in the semifinals. Whittaker won the first round via knockout at 1:17. Whittaker’s victory advanced him to the final round of the competition, which would be shown live on UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson.

Whittaker made his UFC debut on December 15, 2012, at UFC on FX 6, also known as “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Final”. He would face Brad Scott in the welterweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Whittaker won the bout by unanimous decision, becoming the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes with lightweight winner Norman Parke. Whittaker fought Colton Smith at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013. He won the bout via TKO in the third round.

Whittaker fought Court McGee at UFC Fight Night 27 on August 28, 2013. He was defeated by a split decision. Whittaker was scheduled to meet Brian Melancon at UFC Fight Night 33 on December 7, 2013. Melancon, on the other hand, withdrew from the fight due to an injury and later retired. As a consequence, Whittaker was taken off the card.

Whittaker challenged Stephen Thompson at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014. He was knocked out in the first round with a TKO. Whittaker faced Mike Rhodes at UFC Fight Night 43 on June 28, 2014. He was victorious by unanimous decision.

On November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 55, Whittaker faced Clint Hester in a middleweight fight. He won the close bout via TKO in the second round. Whittaker’s victory also won him his first Fight of the Night bonus award. Whittaker fought Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 65 on May 10, 2015. He won the bout through first-round knockout. Whittaker also received his first Performance of the Night bonus award as a result of his victory.

Whittaker was scheduled to meet Michael Bisping at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015. However, Bisping withdrew from the fight on September 30 due to an elbow injury and was replaced by Uriah Hall. Whittaker won a unanimous decision against Hall (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).

Whittaker next faced Rafael Natal at UFC 197 on April 23, 2016. Whittaker won the close bout by unanimous decision. Whittaker fought Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 101 on November 27, 2016. He won the back-and-forth bout via TKO in the opening round. He also received the Performance of the Night and Battle of the Night bonus awards for his victory.

Whittaker faced Ronaldo Souza at UFC on Fox 24 on April 15, 2017. He won by second-round TKO, becoming the first person to finish Souza since 2008. Whittaker received his third Performance of the Night bonus award as a result of his victory.

Whittaker faced Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight championship at UFC 213 on July 8, 2017, after Michael Bisping reported a persistent knee issue that would keep him out for several months. Whittaker won by majority decision, becoming the first Australian and New Zealander to win a UFC championship. After this victory, he received the Fight of the Night bonus award. He was out for the rest of 2017 while healing from a medial knee injury in his left leg.

After being diagnosed with colitis, former middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre resigned from the belt on December 7, 2017. As a consequence, Whittaker was elevated to the position of the unquestioned champion. He was scheduled to make his first championship defense against former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in Perth Arena in Australia on February 10, 2018.

Whittaker withdrew from the event on January 13, 2018, citing an unexplained ailment, and was replaced by Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight championship. The winner of this fight will face Whittaker in a unification fight. On January 20, 2018, Dana White announced that Whittaker was in critical condition after not receiving sufficient treatment for a staph infection in his stomach.

At UFC 225 on June 9, 2018, he faced Romero again. Romero missed weight at the weigh-ins, coming in at 186 pounds, one pound above the middleweight limit for a title bout. Romero was allowed extra time to make weight, but he weighed in at 185.2 pounds, 0.2 pounds over the championship bout limit.

The fight was contested as a non-title catchweight battle, and Romero was fined 20% of his fight money. Whittaker won by a razor-thin split decision. Their bout was recognized as the ‘Fight of The Night’ award. Whittaker won a $100,000 bonus since Romero did not make weight, which would ordinarily have been divided by both opponents.

Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum were confirmed as Ultimate Fighter 28 coaches by the UFC in July 2018. Whittaker’s next middleweight championship defense will take place in February at UFC 234, it was confirmed on November 2, 2018. Whittaker, however, withdrew from the event a few hours before it began after being obliged to have emergency dual surgery owing to an abdominal hernia of the intestine and a twisted and collapsed colon.

Whittaker fought Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 on October 6, 2019. He was knocked out in the second round and so lost the fight and the crown. Whittaker was set to meet Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020. However, on January 15, 2020, it was confirmed that Whittaker has withdrawn from the fight for unspecified reasons. Whittaker announced in an interview in late April 2020 that he withdrew from the fight and stopped training entirely owing to fatigue.

Whittaker faced Darren Till at UFC on ESPN on July 26, 2020: Whittaker vs. Till. He was victorious by unanimous decision. In UFC 254, Whittaker faced Jared Cannonier on October 24, 2020. He was victorious by unanimous decision.

Whittaker was set to meet Paulo Costa at UFC on ESPN 22 on April 17, 2021. Unfortunately, owing to sickness, Costa withdrew from the fight on March 16, and he was replaced by Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was victorious by unanimous decision. He won the Fight of the Night award for this battle.

Whittaker and Adesanya fought for the UFC Middleweight Championship again on February 12, 2022, at UFC 271. Whittaker was defeated by unanimous decision. Whittaker was set to meet Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 on June 11, 2022.

Whittaker, on the other hand, resigned for unexplained reasons. The fight has been rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 209 on September 3, 2022. Whittaker was victorious by unanimous decision.

Whittaker was set to meet Paulo Costa at UFC 284 on February 12, 2023. Nevertheless, Costa questioned the promotion’s official claim that he had never signed a contract and that the bout would not go place.