Robert Whittaker (fighter)

Robert Whittaker
Whittaker in 2024
BornRobert John Whittaker[1]
(1990-12-20) 20 December 1990 (age 33)
Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, New Zealand
Other namesThe Reaper
Bobby Knuckles
ResidenceSydney, Australia
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb)
Division
Reach73+1⁄2 in (187 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofSydney, Australia
Team
Teacher(s)
  • Henry Perez[8]
    Justin Fitzgerald[7]
RankBlack belt in hapkido[2]
Black belt in karate[2]
Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Alex Prates[9]
WrestlingAustralian national team for freestyle wrestling[10]
Years active2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total34
Wins26
By knockout10
By submission5
By decision11
Losses8
By knockout3
By submission2
By decision3
SpouseSofia Whittaker
Websitehttps://www.robwhittaker.co/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Robert John Whittaker (born 20 December 1990) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and the first Australian to win a UFC championship. As of 12 September 2023, he is #3 in the UFC middleweight rankings.[11]

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.[12] 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.

  1. ^ Akpodonor, Gowon (26 September 2019). "Adesanya, Whittaker UFC fight pits New Zealand against Australia". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Robert Whittaker | UFC". UFC.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  3. ^ "UFC 225 main-event breakdown: Can Yoel Romero dethrone Robert Whittaker in rematch?". MMAjunkie. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  4. ^ Von Philip Ferraro (3 July 2017). "Whittaker believes he'll be champion, and that's the least of his expectations". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  5. ^ "Robert Whittaker Makes History At UFC 213". Sport.ONE. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  6. ^ Mahoney, Katrina (11 June 2018). "Whittaker edges split decision over Romero at UFC 225". EMG MMA. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b Tullis, Ashleigh (7 December 2016). "UFC star Robert Whittaker has a new coach in his corner". Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  8. ^ Staff, I. B. T. (6 September 2019). "Robert Whittaker – A True Legend". International Business Times AU. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  9. ^ admin (12 December 2020). "Robert Whittaker Promoted To Black Belt By Alex Prates". bjjtribes.com.
  10. ^ Woods, Melissa (2 March 2018). "UFC champ Robert Whittaker leads Comm Games wrestlers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "UFC Rankings | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  12. ^ "NZ-born Robert Whittaker makes UFC history by beating Cuban Yoel Romero". Stuff. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.