Robert Whittaker News

Chris Taylor - July 3, 2021

Robert Whittaker admits that he let his emotions get the best of him in his first fight with Israel Adesanya at UFC 243. Whittaker (23-5 MMA) and Adesanya (21-1 MMA) squared off for the promotions undisputed middleweight title in October of 2019, with ‘Stylebender’ emerging victorious by way of second round knockout.

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.

Cole Shelton - April 29, 2021

Robert Whittaker put on a dominant performance over Kelvin Gastelum on April 17 and did so while fighting with an injury. Whittaker was supposed to face Paulo Costa on the card but the Brazilian was forced out of the bout and Gastelum stepped up on short notice. However, when Whittaker arrived in Las Vegas and began training he tore ligaments in his hand. Even though he had torn ligaments in his hand, he still earned a dominant decision over Gastelum.

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 champion Israel Adesanya has opened up as a big favorite for a potential rematch against No. 1 contender Robert Whittaker. Whittaker defeated Kelvin Gastelum at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 24 event in dominant fashion. The Aussie used a combination of grappling and striking to outpoint Gastelum for 25 minutes and take home the decision. Prior to beating Gastelum, Whittaker had won decisions over Jared Cannonier and Darren Till, so he is currently riding a three-fight win streak and that could possibly be enough for him to get another title shot at 185.

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

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event was headlined by a key middleweight matchup featuring former champ Robert Whittaker taking on Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was originally 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

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.

Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021

The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 24 took place on Friday, and Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum made weight for the main event fight. In the headliner, Whittaker and Gastelum meet with a potential middleweight title shot on the line. Whittaker, the former champion, is coming off of back-to-back wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier to jump back into title contention after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019. As for Gastelum, he recently snapped a three-fight win streak with a unanimous decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. After Paulo Costa fell out of the fight with an illness, Gastelum volunteered to step in on short notice and the UFC gave him the opportunity. The winner of this bout will surely figure into the title discussions at 185lbs.

Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 24, Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum are finally set to meet. Whittaker enters the fight as a -265 favorite while the eighth-ranked middleweight is a +210 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Whittaker will get the job done as he is the better mixed martial artist.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC on Vegas 24 card featuring an intriguing middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. The UFC Vegas 24 main event sees Whittaker and Gastelum finally fight after they were supposed to meet in 2019 for the title but Whittaker was forced out of the fight on the day of the event. Whittaker is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Jared Cannonier and Darren Till to return to the win column after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya. Gastelum, meanwhile, returned to the win column last time out with a decision win over Ian Heinisch.