Robert Whittaker scoffs at critics of planned light heavyweight move: ‘Shut up, dude’

Robert Whittaker is going to give light heavyweight a shot, and he doesn’t care if you have doubts.

Whittaker is a former UFC Middleweight Champion who has become a fan favorite for his exciting fighting style and personality. “The Reaper” has shared the Octagon with the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis, and Yoel Romero to name a few.

As of late, things haven’t been going Whittaker’s way inside the Octagon. He is planning to make the jump to 205 pounds. During his appearance on “Submission Radio,” Whittaker responded to those who feel he’s too small for the division (h/t MMAFighting).

“I’m going to give it a go,” Whittaker said. “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 mentioned that the thought of exiting the middleweight division isn’t new.

“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.”

Whittaker has fallen short in his last two outings. He quickly tapped out to Chimaev in their Oct. 2024 clash due to a face crank, which exacerbated Whittaker’s prior dental issues. Once Whittaker got that problem squared away, he shared the Octagon with Reinier de Ridder. The former 185-pound champion lost the bout via split decision.

How do you think Robert Whittaker will fare in the light heavyweight division? Sound off in the comments below.