Robert Whittaker (fighter)

Robert Whittaker
Born Robert John Whittaker
(1990-12-20) 20 December 1990
Middlemore, Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality

New Zealand

Australian
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Division Middleweight
Welterweight (formerly)
Reach 73.5 in (187 cm)
Style Mixed martial arts
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Menai, New South Wales, Australia
Team PMA Super Martial Arts
Also training via: Gracie Jiu Jitsu/Wrestling Smeaton Grange - /Stand-Strong-Boxing
Rank Black belt in Hapkido[1]
Black belt in Karate[1]
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active 2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 20
Wins 16
By knockout 7
By submission 5
By decision 4
Losses 4
By knockout 1
By submission 1
By decision 2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Robert John Whittaker[2] (born 20 December 1990) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist of Māori descent currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[3] A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Whittaker was a contestant on the first installment of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and won the Welterweight tournament. As of April 2016, he is #6 in the official UFC Middleweight rankings.

Background

Whittaker's father, Jack Whittaker, was a believer in the values of martial arts so he enrolled Robert in karate at an early age.[4] After training in the discipline for a little over eight years, Robert switched to a Hapkido gym ran by Henry Perez.[4][5] In 2003 Perez transformed his gym into a MMA gym. Having no other choice, Whittaker began training in MMA and was immediately hooked.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2009 Whittaker began competing in MMA as a professional. He signed with Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championships and made his debut 14 March 2009 against fellow pro debutee Chris Tallowin. Whittaker won the fight via TKO in the first round.[6] Whittaker then started his career with Cage Fighting Championships, going 6-0 inside the promotion from 2009 to 2011, with a notable win over fellow TUF: Smashes castmate, Ben Alloway.[6]

On 30 October 2011 Whittaker lost his first fight when he travelled to Cotai, Macau for Legend Fighting Championships 6. Whittaker fought Hoon Kim and lost via submission in the first round.[6] Whittaker bounced from the loss and won two straight before suffering his second loss to Jesse Juarez, bringing his overall record to 9–2.[6]

The Ultimate Fighter

Whittaker was selected as a cast member for the first installment of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes;[7] which pitted a team eight Australians versus a team of eight men from the United Kingdom.

In his first fight on the show Whittaker fought Luke Newman. Only 19 seconds into the first round Whittaker landed a punch flush on the chin of Newman, knocking him unconscious for several minutes. The win moved him onto the semi-final round.[8] The knockout also earned Whittaker an additional $25,000 for "Knockout of the Season".[9]

In the semifinal round, Whittaker was then matched against replacement fighter and fellow Team Australia teammate, Xavier Lucas. Whittaker won via knock out at 1:17 in the first round. The win moved Whittaker into the final round of the competition that would take place live on UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Whittaker made his UFC debut on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6 which was also known as "The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Finale". He would fight Brad Scott to determine the welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Whittaker won the fight via unanimous decision to become the first ever winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes alongside Norman Parke, who was the lightweight winner of the show.

Whittaker faced Colton Smith on 25 May 2013 at UFC 160.[10] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.

Whittaker faced Court McGee on 28 August 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27.[11] He lost the fight via split decision.[12]

Whittaker was expected to face Brian Melancon on 7 December 2013 at UFC Fight Night 33.[13] However, Melancon pulled out of the bout citing an injury and subsequently retired. As a result, Whittaker was removed from the card as well.[14]

Whittaker faced Stephen Thompson on 22 February 2014 at UFC 170.[15] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[16]

Whittaker faced Mike Rhodes on 28 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43.[17] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Whittaker faced Clint Hester in a middleweight bout on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55.[19] He won the exciting back and forth fight via TKO in the second round. The win also earned Whittaker his first Fight of the Night bonus award.[20]

Whittaker faced Brad Tavares on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65.[21] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[22] The win also earned Whittaker his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[23]

Whittaker was expected to face Michael Bisping on 15 November 2015 at UFC 193.[24] However, Bisping pulled out of the fight on the 30th of September citing an elbow injury and was replaced by Uriah Hall.[25][26] Whittaker won the fight by unanimous decision.[27]

Whittaker faced Rafael Natal on 23 April 2016 at UFC 197.[28] Whittaker won the back and forth fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–4 Rafael Natal Decision (unanimous) UFC 197 23 April 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–4 Uriah Hall Decision (unanimous) UFC 193 15 November 2015 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 14–4 Brad Tavares KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt 10 May 2015 1 0:44 Adelaide, Australia Performance of the Night.
Win 13–4 Clint Hester TKO (knee and punches) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping 8 November 2014 2 2:43 Sydney, Australia Middleweight debut. Fight of the Night.
Win 12–4 Mike Rhodes Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Te-Huna vs. Marquardt 28 June 2014 3 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand
Loss 11–4 Stephen Thompson TKO (punches) UFC 170 22 February 2014 1 3:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–3 Court McGee Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 28 August 2013 3 5:00 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win 11–2 Colton Smith TKO (punches) UFC 160 25 May 2013 3 0:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Brad Scott Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson 15 December 2012 3 5:00 Gold Coast, Australia Won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight tournament.
Loss 9–2 Jesse Juarez Decision (unanimous) Cage Fighting Championships 21 18 May 2012 5 5:00 Sydney, Australia For the CFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Shaun Spooner TKO (punches) Superfight Australia 13 23 March 2012 1 4:01 Perth, Australia Won the SFA Welterweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Ian Bone TKO (punches) Cage Fighting Championships 19 9 December 2011 1 3:15 Sydney, Australia
Loss 7–1 Hoon Kim Submission (triangle choke) Legend Fighting Championship 6 30 October 2011 1 3:01 Macau, SAR, China
Win 7–0 Corey Nelson Submission (armbar) Cage Fighting Championships 18 26 August 2011 1 4:40 Sydney, Australia
Win 6–0 Ben Alloway Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 17 3 June 2011 1 4:07 Gold Coast, Australia
Win 5–0 Nate Thomson Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 15 8 October 2010 1 2:21 Sydney, Australia
Win 4–0 Jay Cobain Submission (armbar) Cage Fighting Championships 14 5 June 2010 1 0:32 Sydney, Australia
Win 3–0 Nick Ariel KO (punch) Cage Fighting Championships 12 12 March 2010 1 2:50 Sydney, Australia
Win 2–0 Richard Walsh Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighting Championships 11 20 November 2009 1 2:40 Sydney, Australia
Win 1–0 Chris Tallowin TKO (punches) XFC 14 14 March 2009 1 N/A Perth, Australia

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Robert Whittaker - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SHOW RESULTS : DATE: February 22, 2014 LOCATION: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas" (PDF). Boxing.nv.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  3. ↑ Ben Stanley (2013-06-23). "'Mozzie' UFC fighter gets kick out of Kiwi roots". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  4. 1 2 3 "Legend Fighting Championships - Fighters - Robert Whittaker". legendfc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Robert Whittaker - The Ultimate Fighter". tuf.tv. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Fight Finder". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Cast Announced for TUF Smashes". ufc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "TUF ‘The Smashes’ Episode 3 Recap: Action in the House Heats Up". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Whittaker, Fletcher, Scott and Alloway each score $25K 'TUF' season bonuses". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "'TUF' champs Robert Whittaker and Colton Smith join UFC 160 lineup". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Staff (2013-06-05). "'TUF' winners Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker added to UFC on FOX Sports 1 2". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  12. ↑ Tim Burke. "UFC Fight Night 27 results: Court McGee takes decision over Robert Whittaker". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  13. ↑ Staff (2013-10-02). "Robert Whittaker vs. Brian Melancon added to UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  14. ↑ Matt Erickson (2013-11-20). "Brian Melancon injury scraps bout with Robert Whittaker from UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  15. ↑ Matt Erickson. "UFC 170 adds Stephen Thompson vs. ‘TUF’ winner Robert Whittaker". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  16. ↑ Dave Doyle (2014-02-22). "UFC 170 results: Stephen Thompson finishes off Robert Whittaker". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  17. ↑ Staff (2014-05-05). "UFC Fight Night 43 gets Whittaker-Rhodes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  18. ↑ Matt Erickson (2014-06-28). "UFC Fight Night 43 results: Robert Whittaker cruises past Mike Rhodes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  19. ↑ Matt Erickson (11 September 2014). "Five bouts, including Hester-Whittaker, added to UFC Fight Night 55 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  20. ↑ Staff (2014-11-08). "UFC Fight Night 55 bonuses: Rockhold, Smolka, Whittaker, Hester win $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  21. ↑ Staff (2012-02-17). "UFC Fight Night 65 official for Australia with Hunt-Miocic, Tavares-Whittaker, more". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  22. ↑ Thomas Myers (10 May 2015). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: Robert Whittaker flattens, finishes Brad Tavares in 44 seconds". mmamania.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Staff (2015-05-10). "UFC Fight Night 65 bonuses: With 10 finishes in 12 fights, who got $50,000?". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  24. ↑ Damon Martin (2015-08-19). "Michael Bisping vs. Robert Whittaker targeted for UFC 193 in Australia". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  25. ↑ Elias Cepeda (2015-09-30). "Michael Bisping injured, out of UFC 193". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  26. ↑ Damon Martin (2015-10-01). "Uriah Hall replaces Michael Bisping, faces Robert Whittaker at UFC 193". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  27. ↑ Matt Erickson (2015-11-14). "UFC 193 results: Robert Whittaker outshines Uriah Hall for unanimous decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  28. ↑ John Morgan (2016-02-08). "Rafael Natal meets Robert Whittaker at UFC 197". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  29. ↑ Dave Doyle (2016-04-23). "UFC 197 results: Robert Whittaker wins slugfest over Rafael Natal". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.

External links

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