Robert Whittaker will weigh 205 pounds the next time he steps on the scale for a UFC fight.
The former UFC middleweight champion, who started his octagon career as a 170-pounder, “had a really good rest” after his last UFC appearance, a split-decision defeat to Reinier de Ridder in July of 2025, and decided to move up to light heavyweight for his next bout.
“I’m going to give it a go,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “I know a lot of naysayers, a lot of lot of things on the internet saying ‘small this, small that.’ Shut up, dude. I want to give it a go. I’m on the tail end of my career so like I got to try rather than just thinking about what ifs.”
Whittaker made the call to “try something different” after losing two in a row in the UFC, including a first-round submission defeat to now 185-pound champion Khamzat Chimaev. Prior to those setbacks, Whittaker scored victories over Ikram Aliskerov and Paulo Costa.
“I’ve been playing with the idea for a long time,” Whittaker said. “During the break, I was training at a heavier weight. I want to lock in and move in to this weight division. There’s no doubt in my mind I could make middleweight. I can make it still, I can lose the weight, but I just don’t know if I’m getting the best out of myself having to cut that weight. The camp performance kind of really suffers on the back end of a weight card and a lot of fighters can can testify that.”
Victorious in 26 of 35 professional MMA bouts, including knockouts over Ronaldo Souza and Derek Brunson and decisions against Yoel Romero, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till, “The Reaper” is currently targeting at June for his octagon return.
“I want to give myself the appropriate amount of time to really get all the gears going again,” Whittaker said. “Especially if I’m moving up to 205, I want to adjust to the weight. I want to perform at the weight. I want to build some muscle, etc. I want to give myself like a decent leg of work, like a good four months to prep and come in there at my best.”
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