Robert Whittaker has long been heralded as one of the top middleweights on the planet. Recently however the reaper has fallen on stranger times. For the first time since 2019, he’s looking to come back from a loss in which he was finished. That finish came at the hands of new champion Dricuss Du Plessis at UFC 290, a loss which surprised many.
Since that fight the division has moved fast, with Sean Strickland beating Adesanya and then Dricuss beating Sean at UFC 297. New contenders Nassourdine Imavov & Brendan Allen are also knocking on the door of the top 5. There has never been a more important time for Robert Whittaker to stamp his name firmly in the future of this division.
Robert Whittaker: Divisional All-Time Great?
Let’s open this piece with a look back at the stellar career of Robert Whittaker in the UFC. The Reaper first came into the UFC scene on The Ultimate Fighter in 2012. Yes, you read that right 2012. He was a part of Team Australia and got to the final with 2 KO finishes before beating Team UK’s Brad Scott in the final by decision. At the time Whittaker was 9-2 and fought at welterweight. His UFC debut would come quickly after his TUF triumph, at UFC 160 against Colton Smith, he won by TKO in the third round.
Robert would go on to be 2-2 at welterweight. He would lose a split decision to Court McGee & a KO to Stephen Thompson. Whittaker then decided to move up to middleweight. Whittaker Aussie publication theRoar about the move:
“I was doing big [weight] cuts for a long time, probably for the last couple of years. It just got to the point where it was really starting to hurt me. I had to look at the longevity of my career; I’m still young and I have a long time in this sport if I play it right.”
Beating the Boogeyman Yoel Romero
With welterweight in the rearview, The Reaper began his career at middleweight with a finish of Clint Hester. That win triggered the longest winning streak of his career (8). This streak included a pair of incredible wars with Yoel Romero.
The first Romero fight was Robert’s first taste of UFC gold as he won the interim belt, while champ Michael Bisping was sidelined with a knee injury. Bisping then took and lost a fight to a returning GSP who shortly after vacated the belt. This led to the UFC booking Whittaker v Romero for a second time at UFC 225, this time for the vacant belt.
What we got in the second Romero matchup was a fight for the ages. A back-and-forth contest of the highest technical level, both coming through adversity and landing massive shots. Despite being knocked down twice by Romero Whittaker rallied and picked up the win. A look at the stats tells the story of the fight, rounds 1, 2 & 4 going to Rob with Romero doing his best work in 3 & 5 where he knocked Whittaker down.
Is Robert Whittaker in the divisional GOAT talk? His Resume would certainly suggest so, technical ability would certainly suggest so. However, when you have the shadow of Anderson Silva haunting the division it’s a no. Robert is, however, an absolute shoo-in for the tier below Silva. Fight Matrix has him at No.4 and many a UFC commentator is quoted as saying “Middleweight Hall of Famer” so there is no doubt that he’s top tier of all time. What Robert does in the next 3-4 years will ultimately decide his standing in the division.
The Reaper 3.0
Robert Whittaker loves video games, ahead of UFC 298 he’ll be looking to level up, but 2 major questions remain. Is this the same Robert Whittaker after the defeat to Dricuss last year? Where does he stand in this division that seems to be in a post-Stylebender transition era?
Is this the Same Robert Whittaker After the Defeat to Dricuss?
Amongst the many things to love about Robert Whittaker is his honesty and humility in defeat. While it’s only happened a handful of times each has shaped him and a new Robert emerges. The post-Dricus discussion from Robert has been a mix of that along with confidence and determination in his own ability. In the aftermath, Robert said on his podcast MMA Arcade:
“I ended up giving the worst performance of my career. The hardest part is knowing I can do better.” Robert continued: “I’ve only got myself to blame. This isn’t taking anything away from Dricus, he fought, he trained, he turned up and I didn’t.”
Further, into the conversation, Robert reiterated his desire to continue at the highest level and learn from this defeat: “I do believe this was the kick in my a** that I needed to take me to the next level. it’s realigned my goals. I want to finish my career never losing again.”
Looking back at Whittaker’s previous losses points towards us getting a new and improved Whittaker. After the first Adesanya defeat, Robert went on a 3-fight win streak against the biggest names possible: Darren Till, Jared Canonier & Kelvin Gastelum. After his second defeat to Adesanya, a fight in which he took Israel the full 5 rounds, The Reaper put on a masterclass performance against Marvin Vettori in Paris.
Pointing to that evidence, we could see Robert Whittaker 3.0, which takes us to the second point.
Where Does Robert Whittaker Stand in the Division?
Middleweight is exciting right now. It’s a division that’s been moving for a while, Adesanya fought in a middleweight title fight twice a year since 2019. While contenders fell it’s allowed the division to move quickly and for the best of the best to rise to the top. Whittaker finds himself at #3 behind champion Dricus, #1 Sean Strickland & #2 Israel Adesanya.
With the return of Adesanya unclear, that leaves Strickland as the only top 5 fighter Rob hasn’t fought. Strickland could however be in line for a rematch against Dricus after their close bout at 298. As we know Rob is matched up against #6 Paulo Costa, which is logical as he’s coming off a loss. Beyond that, it’s tricky considering the landscape. If Israel were to come in against Dricus then logic points to a #1 contender fight against Strickland.
if successful against Costa does Rob need to ‘clear out’ contenders again? Possibly, with the likes of Allen & Imavov surging Rob could see himself matched up against them later in the year. Neither of which are bad fights for Rob and with him only being 33 he likely has 2 more years at the top, so he could afford to take another fight to regain his spot as the #1 contender. It all depends on how the Costa fight goes on Saturday night and what Robert Whittaker emerges.
The Reaper v The Eraser
So here we are, a fight previously booked for 2019. Robert Whittaker v Paulo Costa. 2 of the best middleweights of the past decade collide in a pivotal clash for both at their career stages. Costa is coming off a 3 round war with Luke Rockhold, and after numerous cancellations and pull-outs, it’s still hard to imagine we will make it to fight night. ‘Borrachina’ has become somewhat of an enigma in the division, turning up 25 pounds overweight against Marvin Vettori, the wine incident with Adesanya and the withdrawal against Chimaev last year:
Technical Breakdown
Assuming the fight will go ahead on Saturday night, what can we expect? Costa has to make this a brawl. Similar to the way Dricus worked the pressure, Paulo has to get in there early and establish his power shots. Robert could approach the fight in a few ways:
Establishing the leg kick early would be hugely beneficial to not only diminish Costa’s power but also his ability to burst with big punches. Alternatively, Rob could lure Costa in by holding his hands low and inviting the big shots only to move out of the way and catch Costa on the outside.
One approach that may prove unsuccessful for Rob is If he decides to grapple. Paulo has an impressive 79% takedown defence and against the likes of Luke Rockhold & Yoel Romero, that’s an impressive stat. On the other hand, Robert could try to use the wrestling as a feint to set up his hand combinations.
Robert’s biggest key to victory here will be the kicks. We know Whittaker has an impressive right high kick, but his straight kicks to the knees and gut are an underrated weapon. Using these kicks will help establish the distance for Rob and allow him versatility in his jabs and hooks as he moves in and out of range.
Conclusion
Robert Whittaker is notoriously loved within the MMA community. His style brings a rare combination of technical brilliance and excitement in all facets of MMA. We are now in the 3rd era of Whittakers’ time as a top contender in the UFC. UFC 298 on Saturday night will be a huge marker for how this next era for The Reaper unfolds.
Costa represents a dangerous and unpredictable threat, and Rob has questions to answer after the DDP Loss. What we’ve seen in the past is that Rob answers those questions with no doubts and a levelled-up Robert Whittaker emerges from the darkness of defeat.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
