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UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg believes former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is capable of earning an early victory over Hamzat Chimaev.
The Australian and the UAE-born Chechen will fight on June 22 in the main event of the UFC's debut event in Saudi Arabia.
"The outcome of the fight will depend on Whittaker's performance. If Robert fights like he did against Paulo Costa, he will emerge victorious. I think Whittaker has a good wrestling defense. He also has better standup defense than Hamzat. Robert will beat Chimaev and finish him in the late rounds," Erceg told MMA News.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker paid tribute to Justin Gaethje's resilience, which the American showed in his fight with Max Holloway at UFC 300.
On April 13, Holloway knocked out Gaethje in the final seconds of the fight and won the symbolic BMF title.
"It was a reversal leg kick in the first round that broke Gaethje's nose .... I think he was the catalyst. Justin got his nose broken at the end of the first round and fought four more and it's just overwhelming. You can't imagine what it's like to fight for four rounds with a broken nose with Holloway hitting him regularly," Whittaker said on the MMArcade podcast.
Robert Whittaker, former UFC middleweight champion, reacted to an incident between the promotion's lightweight Arman Tsarukyan and a fan. Robert compared Arman to an animal.
I would like to point out one thing about Arman. He punched a dude in the crowd while entering the octagon! Arman is an animal! He goes into the octagon, but still notices all the shit around him and even starts swinging his fists (laughs)," Whittaker said on the YouTube channel MMArcade.
Recall that while walking out to fight Charles Oliveira at the UFC 300 anniversary event, Tsarukyan punched one of the fans in the audience. It happened after the fan showed Arman an obscene gesture.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker spoke admiringly about the performance of the promotion's bantamweight belt holder Alex Pereira in his fight with Jamal Hill.
On April 13 in the main event of UFC 300 in Las Vegas, USA, the Brazilian made the first defense of his title, knocking out the American in the opening round.
"We're looking at real skill. This guy is just a phenomenon, he's several levels above most fighters. That's due to his incredible experience and championship background at Glory.
On fight night, he looked as focused as possible. Then he threw three punches, one of which sent Hill to a knockout. That's crazy. The most important thing is to never let your guard down in a fight with Alex, no matter what. Because you can't trust your safety to the referee or anyone else. It's up to you," Middle Easy quoted the Australian as saying.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker expressed his opinion that it's too early for the division's undefeated prospect Bo Nakal to move on to fighting top-10 ranked fighters.
Robert Whittaker's record currently stands at 25 wins, 6 loses and 0 draw.
Robert Whittaker's last fight took place against Paulo Costa on Feb. 17, 2024, in Anaheim, USA. He won by UD in the 3 round. That fight was 2 months and 8 days ago.
Whittaker's last 3 fights have come over a period of 1 year, 5 months and 14 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 5 months and 24 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 8 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 2 rounds on average.
Whittaker was born in New Zealand.
The Robert Whittaker is currently 33 years old. He was born on Dec. 20, 1990, so he will turn 34 in 7 months and 25 days.
Robert Whittaker made his professional debut in March 2009, so he has been a pro for 15 years.
Whittaker is 6' 0" (6 Foot and 0 inch) which is 183 cm (1 meter and 83 centimeters).
His reach is 74 inches (74") which is 187 cm (1 meter and 87 centimeters).
