Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has opened up about the motivation behind his decision to move up to the light heavyweight division.
Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) is set to make his 205-pound debut against Nikita Krylov (31-11 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at UFC 329 next week, marking his first appearance since suffering a split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder a year ago.
The defeat left Whittaker on the first two-fight losing streak of his UFC career, putting his path back to middleweight title contention into question. At 35 years old, the Australian recognizes that the final chapter of his MMA career is approaching, and he believes a move to light heavyweight offers him the opportunity to extend that journey while taking on a new set of challenges.
Speaking to former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel this week, Whittaker explained that the decision has reignited his passion for competing.
“I found that I wanted to make a change in my career. So the move up to light heavyweight, I wanted to get another few more fights out. I'd like my retirement fight to be in Australia at the very least. Finish where I started. So there's a fairy tale in my head I want to finish. And, yeah, it got me back on the wagon, got me back in the gym, and I'm excited.”
Whittaker has spent the majority of the past decade competing at middleweight, where he captured the UFC title and established himself as one of the division's most accomplished fighters. With a fresh start at 205 pounds, the former champion hopes the move will provide renewed motivation and create new opportunities as he enters the latter stages of his career.
His first test in the division comes against Krylov at UFC 329, with Whittaker looking to begin his light heavyweight run with a statement victory.
