Robert Whittaker (fighter)

Robert Whittaker
Born (1990-12-20) 20 December 1990
Auckland, New Zealand
Other names The Reaper
Bobby Knuckles
Residence Sydney, Australia
Nationality Australian
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1]
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Division Middleweight (2014–present)
Welterweight (2009–2014)
Reach 73 1⁄2 in (187 cm)
Style Karate, Hapkido, Boxing, Wrestling, BJJ
Team PMA Super Martial Arts
Gracie Jiu Jitsu Smeaton Grange
Stand Strong Boxing
Bulldog Gym Castle Hill
Rank Black belt in Hapkido[2]
Black belt in Goju-ryu Karate[2]
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Alex Prates and Maurício Cavicchini[3]
Years active 2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 24
Wins 20
By knockout 9
By submission 5
By decision 6
Losses 4
By knockout 1
By submission 1
By decision 2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Robert John Whittaker[4] (born 20 December 1990) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist fighting out of Menai, Sydney. He is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and is the current middleweight champion.[5] A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Whittaker was a contestant on the first series of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and won the welterweight tournament.[6] Whittaker became interim middleweight champion after winning the title at UFC 213; he was promoted to undisputed champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2017 due to illness. As of 9 October 2018, he is #12 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.[7]

Background

Whittaker's father enrolled Robert, aged six, and his brother in a Goju-ryu Karate school, to encourage them in self-discipline and self-defence.[8][9] After training in the discipline for a little over eight years, and earning his black belt, his father offered him the chance to change to other sport or drop Karate entirely. While his brother decided to drop out, Robert chose to switch to a Hapkido[10] gym run by Henry Perez, following his move to Menai.[8][11] Not long afterwards, Perez transformed his gym into a MMA gym. Having no other choice, Whittaker began training in MMA and was immediately hooked, choosing MMA as his preferred sport over Rugby League.[9] Whittaker was a brick layer prior to becoming a professional MMA fighter.

Whittaker prefers not engage in trash-talk outside of the octagon. As he puts it:

I'm the type of fighter that goes into every fight with no ill will towards my opponent. I'm an athlete first and foremost and I love the sport.[12]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2009 Whittaker began competing in MMA as a professional. He signed with Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championships and made his debut 14 March 2009 against fellow pro debutant Chris Tallowin. Whittaker won the fight via TKO in the first round.[13] Whittaker continued his career with Cage Fighting Championships, going 6-0 inside the promotion from 2009 to 2011, with a notable win over fellow TUF: Smashes cast member, Ben Alloway.[14]

On 30 October 2011 Whittaker lost his first fight when he travelled to Cotai, Macau for Legend Fighting Championships 6: he fought Hoon Kim and lost via submission in the first round.[14] Whittaker bounced back from the loss and won two consecutive bouts before suffering his second loss to Jesse Juarez, which brought his overall record to 9–2.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2012 Whittaker's coach, Henry Perez, put him forward for the first series of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes,[15][9] which pitted a team of eight Australians against a team of eight men from the United Kingdom, and he was selected as one of the cast members.[16]

In his first fight on the show Whittaker fought Luke Newman. Only 19 seconds into the first round Whittaker landed a punch flush on the chin of Newman, knocking him unconscious for several minutes. The win moved him onto the semifinal round.[17] The knockout also earned Whittaker an additional $25,000 for "Knockout of the Season".[18]

In the semifinal, Whittaker was matched against replacement fighter and fellow Team Australia teammate, Xavier Lucas. Whittaker won via knockout at 1:17 in the first round. The win moved Whittaker into the final round of the competition, which would take place live on UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson.

Early UFC fights

Whittaker made his UFC debut on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6, which was also known as "The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Finale". He would fight Brad Scott to determine the welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Whittaker won the fight via unanimous decision to become the first ever winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes alongside Norman Parke, who was the lightweight winner of the show.

Whittaker faced Colton Smith on 25 May 2013 at UFC 160.[19] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.

Whittaker faced Court McGee on 28 August 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27.[20] He lost the fight via split decision.[21]

Whittaker was expected to face Brian Melancon on 7 December 2013 at UFC Fight Night 33.[22] However, Melancon pulled out of the bout citing an injury and subsequently retired. As a result, Whittaker was removed from the card as well.[23]

Whittaker faced Stephen Thompson on 22 February 2014 at UFC 170.[24] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[25] In the three years following his loss to Thompson, Whittaker won 6 fights in a row prior to earning his fight against Yoel Romero. He said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald:

I had to really have a sit back and just look at what I was doing with myself outside the octagon and inside. I had made changes, I had lost way of who I was as fighter and as a family man and as a man myself and just sitting back and reflecting on that I had to make my relationship with my family right and then I had to make my relationship with my coaches and everything right.[26]

Whittaker faced Mike Rhodes on 28 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43.[27] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[28]

Move to middleweight

Whittaker faced Clint Hester in a middleweight bout on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55.[29] He won the exciting back and forth fight via TKO in the second round. The win also earned Whittaker his first Fight of the Night bonus award.[30]

Whittaker faced Brad Tavares on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65.[31] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[32] The win also earned Whittaker his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[33]

Whittaker was expected to face Michael Bisping on 15 November 2015 at UFC 193.[34] However, Bisping pulled out of the fight on the 30th of September, citing an elbow injury, and was replaced by Uriah Hall.[35][36] Whittaker defeated Hall by unanimous decision.[37]

Whittaker next faced Rafael Natal on 23 April 2016 at UFC 197.[38] Whittaker won the back and forth fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Whittaker faced Derek Brunson on 27 November 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101.[40] He won the back and forth fight via first-round TKO.[41] The win also earned him the Performance of the Night and the Fight of the Night bonus awards.[42]

Whittaker faced Ronaldo Souza on 15 April 2017 at UFC on Fox 24.[43] He won by second-round TKO and in the process became the first person to finish Souza since 2008.[44] The win also earned Whittaker his third Performance of the Night bonus award.[45]

UFC Middleweight Championship

Whittaker fought for the interim middleweight title against Yoel Romero on 8 July 2017 at UFC 213, after Michael Bisping announced a nagging knee injury which would go on to keep him on the sidelines for several months.[46] Whittaker won by unanimous decision, and became the first Australian and first New Zealand born fighter to hold a UFC title.[6][47] This win earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award .[48] He missed the remainder of 2017, as he was recovering from a medial knee injury to his left leg.[49]

On 7 December 2017, then middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre vacated the title after being diagnosed with colitis.[50] As a result, Whittaker was promoted to undisputed champion.[51] He was slated for his first title defence at UFC 221 against former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold on February 10, 2018 at Perth Arena in Australia.[52][53] On 13 January 2018, it was reported that Whittaker had pulled out from the event due to an undisclosed injury and would be replaced by Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight championship. The winner of this bout would then face Whittaker in a unification bout.[54] On 20 January 2018, Dana White confirmed that Whittaker was in serious condition after he was not properly treated from a staph infection in his stomach.[55]

A rematch with Romero took place on 9 June 2018 at UFC 225.[56] At the weight-ins, Romero missed weight, coming in at 186 lbs, 1 pound over the Middleweight limit for a title fight. Romero was given additional time to make weight, but he weighed in at 185.2 lbs, 0.2 lbs over the middleweight title fight limit of 185 lbs. Romero was fined 20% of his fight purse and the fight was contested as a non-title catchweight bout.[57][58] He defeated Romero in a back-and-forth fight by split decision. Their fight was awarded with 'Fight of The Night' honours. As Romero had failed to make weight, Whittaker received a $100,000 bonus, which would normally have been shared by both fighters.[59]

In July 2018 the UFC announced that Whittaker's next title defence will be against Kelvin Gastelum. Both fighters have been selected as coaches for Ultimate Fighter 28. An official fight date has not yet been set.[60]

Amateur wrestling career

Whittaker began competing in amateur freestyle wrestling tournaments in 2015, when he unexpectedly turned up to compete in the Australia Cup in Canberra. He won each of his three bouts.[61] It was also at the 2015 Australia Cup that Whittaker flagged the possibility of potentially representing Australia in Olympic or Commonwealth wrestling competitions.[62] He returned to the wrestling mat in May 2017 and claimed the Australian National Wrestling Championships gold medal in the 97 kg (213 lbs) division.[63] After winning the national championship, Whittaker entered Australia's 2018 Commonwealth Games 97 kg qualifying tournament in November 2017. He would once again claim first place in his division and in doing so qualified to represent Australia in the wrestling at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast,[64][65] the city in which he made his UFC debut. Following his qualification, Whittaker made it clear he would only compete in the Commonwealth Games if the event did not interfere with his UFC commitments.[66] It was confirmed in March 2018 that Whittaker would be one of eight Australians to compete in the Commonwealth Games wrestling competition in April 2018.[67] However, Whittaker was forced to withdraw from the Games less than three weeks from the event in order not to risk being stripped of his UFC championship title, as the UFC was concerned that an injury incurred during the Commonwealth Games would render him unable to compete for the middleweight championship at UFC 225 against Yoel Romero on June 9, 2018.[68][69]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur wrestling

  • Australia Cup
    • Winner - 97 kg (2015)
  • Australian National Wrestling Championships
    • Gold medal - 97 kg (2017)
  • Commonwealth Games
    • Qualified - 97 kg (2018)

Personal life

Whittaker and his wife Sofia have a son John,[77] and two other children, Jack and Lilliana.[78][79]

Representing both Australia and New Zealand

Whittaker's father is Australian and his mother is of Māori and Samoan descent.[80][81] He stated in an interview, "Pretty much all my mother's side is Kiwi and we have a strong Maori heritage. He said further, "I feel really privileged to have that Maori blood and link to my past. I got my tattoo out of respect to that."[82] Whittaker was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when he was one month old. As stated in a interview, "My mother wanted to have me back home, so she came back. After I was born we came back to Australia. It's half of who I am, is Maori, and my mum's roots go back to Samoa." [80] When asked about his nationality in an interview with the Australian TV programme The Project, he declared that he had an Australian passport but added that he felt as if he represented both countries as an MMA fighter.[12][83]

I'm blessed to be in this position – every time I walk into the octagon I feel like I'm representing Australia and New Zealand. It's the highest honour and the highest privilege.[84]

In an interview with GQ Australia, he stated:

I am immensely proud to be an Australian and to be a pioneer in the sport to, you know, lead, lead today's MMA scene against all these other countries, you know, it really, it really does light me up, to see that the Australian flag when I walk out, you know, to hear them called out that I'm Australian and I am very patriotic. I am really proud of my country and proud of where I am from.[85]

Youth clinics for community service

Whittaker has held clinics for youths in his spare time at his home gym, Gracie jiu-jitsu at Smeaton Grange, and also visited several remote Australian Indigenous youth communities at inland New South Wales. Through this community service, he hopes to inspire the younger generation to take up combat sports by being a good role model to them. Whittaker has said "I want to be a good role model for young up-and-coming athletes, and I want to be a role model to men in general. If I could affect a kid, then this whole journey is amazing. To help them to have some sort of a career path in the sport and fitness industry, and if I could do that for one kid even that would make my day."[86]

I want to be a good role model for young up-and-coming athletes, and I want to be a role model to men in general.[12]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 20–4 Yoel Romero Decision (split) UFC 225 9 June 2018 5 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States Non-title bout; Romero missed weight (185.2 lbs). Fight of the Night.
Win 19–4 Yoel Romero Decision (unanimous) UFC 213 8 July 2017 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the interim UFC Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. Later promoted to undisputed champion.
Win 18–4 Ronaldo Souza TKO (head kick and punches) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis 15 April 2017 2 3:28 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 17–4 Derek Brunson TKO (head kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson 27 November 2016 1 4:07 Melbourne, Australia Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night.
Win 16–4 Rafael Natal Decision (unanimous) UFC 197 23 April 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–4 Uriah Hall Decision (unanimous) UFC 193 15 November 2015 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 14–4 Brad Tavares KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt 10 May 2015 1 0:44 Adelaide, Australia Performance of the Night.
Win 13–4 Clint Hester TKO (knee and punches) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping 8 November 2014 2 2:43 Sydney, Australia Middleweight debut. Fight of the Night.
Win 12–4 Mike Rhodes Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Te-Huna vs. Marquardt 28 June 2014 3 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand
Loss 11–4 Stephen Thompson TKO (punches) UFC 170 22 February 2014 1 3:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–3 Court McGee Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 28 August 2013 3 5:00 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win 11–2 Colton Smith TKO (punches) UFC 160 25 May 2013 3 0:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Brad Scott Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson 15 December 2012 3 5:00 Gold Coast, Australia Won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight Tournament.
Loss 9–2 Jesse Juarez Decision (unanimous) Cage Fighting Championships 21 18 May 2012 5 5:00 Sydney, Australia For the CFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Shaun Spooner TKO (punches) Superfight Australia 13 23 March 2012 1 4:01 Perth, Australia Won the SFA Welterweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Ian Bone TKO (punches) Cage Fighting Championships 19 9 December 2011 1 3:15 Sydney, Australia
Loss 7–1 Hoon Kim Submission (triangle choke) Legend Fighting Championship 6 30 October 2011 1 3:01 Macau, SAR, China
Win 7–0 Corey Nelson Submission (armbar) Cage Fighting Championships 18 26 August 2011 1 4:40 Sydney, Australia
Win 6–0 Ben Alloway Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 17 3 June 2011 1 4:07 Gold Coast, Australia
Win 5–0 Nate Thomson Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 15 8 October 2010 1 2:21 Sydney, Australia
Win 4–0 Jay Cobain Submission (armbar) Cage Fighting Championships 14 5 June 2010 1 0:32 Sydney, Australia
Win 3–0 Nick Ariel KO (punch) Cage Fighting Championships 12 12 March 2010 1 2:50 Sydney, Australia
Win 2–0 Richard Walsh Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 11 20 November 2009 1 2:40 Sydney, Australia
Win 1–0 Chris Tallowin TKO (punches) XFC 14 14 March 2009 1 N/A Perth, Australia

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Robert-Whittaker-45132
  2. 1 2 "Robert Whittaker - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ Kitt Canaria (May 12, 2017). "UFC Fighter Robert Whittaker Earned His Brown Belt In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu". Jiu-Jitsu Times.
  4. ↑ "MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SHOW RESULTS : DATE: February 22, 2014 LOCATION: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas" (PDF). Boxing.nv.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  5. ↑ Ben Stanley (2013-06-23). "'Mozzie' UFC fighter gets kick out of Kiwi roots". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  6. 1 2 "NZ-born Robert Whittaker makes UFC history by beating Cuban Yoel Romero". Stuff. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  7. ↑ "Fighter Rankings | UFC ®". UFC. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  8. 1 2 "Legend Fighting Championships - Fighters - Robert Whittaker". legendfc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 20FOUR (2017-06-22), ROB WHITTAKER - PART 1 - THE NEW COMER, retrieved 2017-07-20
  10. ↑ GQ Australia (2016-04-15), Rob Whittaker: Modern Day Gladiator | GQ | UFC197, retrieved 2017-07-20
  11. ↑ "Robert Whittaker - The Ultimate Fighter". tuf.tv. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 Bungard, Matt (2017-07-15). "UFC interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker's star rises after Romero fight". The Age. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  13. ↑ "Fight Finder". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  14. 1 2 "ROBERT WHITTAKER "THE REAPER"". Sherdog. Sherdog.
  15. ↑ "Cast Announced for TUF Smashes". ufc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  16. ↑ Sankey, Daniel (2012-09-12). "Meet the Australian fighters in TUF: The Smashes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  17. ↑ "TUF 'The Smashes' Episode 3 Recap: Action in the House Heats Up". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "Whittaker, Fletcher, Scott and Alloway each score $25K 'TUF' season bonuses". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  19. ↑ "'TUF' champs Robert Whittaker and Colton Smith join UFC 160 lineup". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  20. ↑ Staff (2013-06-05). "'TUF' winners Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker added to UFC on FOX Sports 1 2". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  21. ↑ Tim Burke. "UFC Fight Night 27 results: Court McGee takes decision over Robert Whittaker". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  22. ↑ Staff (2013-10-02). "Robert Whittaker vs. Brian Melancon added to UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  23. ↑ Matt Erickson (2013-11-20). "Brian Melancon injury scraps bout with Robert Whittaker from UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  24. ↑ Matt Erickson. "UFC 170 adds Stephen Thompson vs. 'TUF' winner Robert Whittaker". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  25. ↑ Dave Doyle (2014-02-22). "UFC 170 results: Stephen Thompson finishes off Robert Whittaker". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  26. ↑ Lerner, Ronny (2017-06-23). "Robert Whittaker preparing for UFC interim title shot after turning life around". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  27. ↑ Staff (2014-05-05). "UFC Fight Night 43 gets Whittaker-Rhodes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  28. ↑ Matt Erickson (2014-06-28). "UFC Fight Night 43 results: Robert Whittaker cruises past Mike Rhodes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  29. ↑ Matt Erickson (11 September 2014). "Five bouts, including Hester-Whittaker, added to UFC Fight Night 55 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  30. 1 2 Staff (2014-11-08). "UFC Fight Night 55 bonuses: Rockhold, Smolka, Whittaker, Hester win $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  31. ↑ Staff (2012-02-17). "UFC Fight Night 65 official for Australia with Hunt-Miocic, Tavares-Whittaker, more". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  32. ↑ Thomas Myers (10 May 2015). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: Robert Whittaker flattens, finishes Brad Tavares in 44 seconds". mmamania.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  33. ↑ Staff (2015-05-10). "UFC Fight Night 65 bonuses: With 10 finishes in 12 fights, who got $50,000?". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  34. ↑ Damon Martin (2015-08-19). "Michael Bisping vs. Robert Whittaker targeted for UFC 193 in Australia". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  35. ↑ Elias Cepeda (2015-09-30). "Michael Bisping injured, out of UFC 193". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  36. ↑ Damon Martin (2015-10-01). "Uriah Hall replaces Michael Bisping, faces Robert Whittaker at UFC 193". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  37. ↑ Matt Erickson (2015-11-14). "UFC 193 results: Robert Whittaker outshines Uriah Hall for unanimous decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  38. ↑ John Morgan (2016-02-08). "Rafael Natal meets Robert Whittaker at UFC 197". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  39. ↑ Dave Doyle (2016-04-23). "UFC 197 results: Robert Whittaker wins slugfest over Rafael Natal". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  40. ↑ Marc Raimondi (2016-09-21). "Derek Brunson gets quick turnaround, faces Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 101". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
  41. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2016-11-27). "UFC Fight Night 101 results: Robert Whittaker stops Derek Brunson in wild back-and-forth brawl". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  42. 1 2 Tristen Critchfield (2016-11-27). "UFC Fight Night 101 bonuses: Robert Whittaker pockets $100K for first-round TKO". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  43. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (2017-03-04). ""Jacare" Souza vs. Robert Whittaker set for UFC on FOX 24". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  44. ↑ Damon Martin (2017-04-16). "Robert Whittaker stuns 'Jacare' Souza with brutal second-round TKO". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  45. ↑ Staff (2017-04-15). "UFC on FOX 24 bonuses: History maker Demetrious Johnson among the night's winners". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  46. ↑ "Romero-Whittaker interim title fight to co-headline UFC 213; Nunes-Shevchenko is main event". MMAjunkie. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  47. ↑ Bungard, Matt (2017-07-09). "UFC 213: Robert Whittaker wins UFC interim middleweight title". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  48. 1 2 "UFC 213 bonuses: Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero take Fight of the Night honors". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  49. ↑ Peter Carroll (2017-07-21). "Robert Whittaker suffered grade two medial ligament injury to left knee at UFC 213". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  50. ↑ Davidson, Neil (2017-12-07). "Georges St-Pierre gives up UFC middleweight title after colitis diagnosis". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  51. ↑ Ariel Helwani (2017-12-07). "Georges St-Pierre vacates UFC middleweight title; Robert Whittaker crowned undisputed champion". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  52. ↑ "Whittaker vs Rockhold set for UFC 221 main event". UFC. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  53. ↑ "Georges St-Pierre vacates; Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold title fight set for UFC 221". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  54. ↑ "UFC bombshell: Whittaker out of Rockhold defence". PerthNow. 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  55. ↑ "Dana White: Robert Whittaker in 'serious condition' after mistreated staph infection in stomach". MMAjunkie. 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  56. ↑ Brett okamoto (2018-03-09). "UFC targets Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero title rematch in June". espn.com. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  57. ↑ Warren, Adrian (2018-06-08). "Whittaker robbed of UFC title defence as Romero fails to make weight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  58. ↑ "Champ Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero agree to non-title bout at UFC 225". MMAjunkie. 2018-06-08. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  59. 1 2 Lee, Alexander K. (2018-06-10). "UFC 225 bonuses: Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero win Fight of the Night again". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  60. ↑ https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/huge-honour-ufc-champ-robert-whittaker-named-ultimate-fighter-head-coach/news-story/22d272751f9741571c086d59f0f4c85a
  61. ↑ 2015 Australia Cup Results
  62. ↑ Australian UFC wrestler Robert Whittaker competes at the 2015 Australia Cup
  63. ↑ Australian Wrestling Championships Results - May 2017
  64. ↑ Robert Whittaker Commonwealth Games 2018: UFC interim middleweight champion qualifies for Australian wrestling team
  65. ↑ Wrestling Athlete: Rob Whittaker
  66. ↑ Whittaker nears Comm Games wrestling debut
  67. ↑ UFC champ Robert Whittaker leads Comm Games wrestlers
  68. ↑ "Whittaker Off Commonwealth Games After UFC Threatens To Strip His Title". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  69. ↑ "Whittaker Off Commonwealth Games After UFC Threatens To Strip His Title". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  70. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 65 bonuses: With 10 finishes in 12 fights, who got $50,000?". MMAjunkie. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  71. ↑ Sherdog.com. "UFC Fight Night 101 Bonuses: Robert Whittaker Pockets $100K for First-Round TKO". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  72. ↑ "UFC on FOX 24 bonuses: History maker Demetrious Johnson among the night's winners". MMAjunkie. 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  73. ↑ "The 2017 'Fighter of the Year' Is ..." MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  74. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Sherdog.com's 2017 Fighter of the Year". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  75. ↑ MMADNA.nl. "MMA DNA Fighter of the Year 2017". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  76. ↑ https://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/scraps-of-the-month/bjpenn-coms-scraps-of-the-month-for-june-2018/
  77. ↑ "Whittaker reveals true extent of pain". Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  78. ↑ Bradford, Brendan. "UFC 225: Inside fight week with Robert Whittaker's coach". Sporting News. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  79. ↑ Scott, Aaron. "Build Cage-Ready Muscle With UFC Star Robert Whittaker". Men's Health. Retrieved 26 Apr 2017.
  80. 1 2 Allen, Ian. "Time for UFC fighter Robert Whittaker to reap the rewards". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  81. ↑ Tiananga, Tamati. "Kiwi fighters weigh-in for UFC 33". Maori Television. Retrieved 6 Dec 2013.
  82. ↑ Stanley, Ben. "'Mozzie' UFC fighter gets kick out of Kiwi roots". www.stuff.co.nz.
  83. ↑ "New Zealand-born Robert Whittaker ready to step into UFC spotlight in maiden main event". Stuff. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  84. ↑ MMAFightingonSBN (2017-04-15), UFC on FOX 24 Post-Fight Press Conference: Robert Whittaker – MMA Fighting, retrieved 2017-07-20
  85. ↑ GQ Australia (2016-04-15), Rob Whittaker: Modern Day Gladiator| GQ UFC197, retrieved 2017-07-20
  86. ↑ Darren Gal (2017-07-09), UFC Star Robert Whittaker Visits Indigenous Communities, retrieved 2017-07-20
  • "Robert Whittaker". UFC.com.
  • Professional MMA record for Robert Whittaker from Sherdog Edit this at Wikidata
Achievements
New title 1st UFC Interim Middleweight Champion
8 July 2017 – 7 December 2017
Promoted		 Vacant
Preceded by
Georges St-Pierre
Vacated		 10th UFC Middleweight Champion
7 December 2017 – Present		 Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.