The Physical and Mental Evolution of Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker will take a six-fight winning streak into the Octagon against Ronaldo Souza at UFC on Fox 24 this Saturday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. “The Reaper” has become a poster boy for the movement against extreme weight cutting through a mesmerizing run at 185 pounds. Since he moved up from welterweight, Whittaker has looked sensational in becoming the dark horse of the middleweight division.

While plying his trade at 170 pounds, Whittaker was usually in no mood for conversations come fight week. Nowadays, he chirps cheerily through his media obligations without the additional stress of the scales.

“For me, personally, moving up to the heavier weight was a great decision, for my health and my performance,” Whittaker told Sherdog.com. “I had to think about my health and the longevity of my career. Undergoing extreme weight cuts shortens that too much. I’m glad the performances have been strong since I’ve made the move up.

“The problem [as a welterweight] was, for the whole eight- to 10-week camp, I wasn’t training to advance my skill set,” he added. “I was training to lose weight. I was always way too focused on calorie burning. Now I can train without a thought to my diet, and I don't have to worry about every pound that I have to lose. It’s been a huge load off my mind.”

The international mixed martial arts community has witnessed Whittaker’s physical and mental evolution since he won “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” in 2012. The challenges “Jacare” Souza, an iconic jiu-jitsu practitioner, brings to the table gives him a chance to underline his transformation from prospect to title contender even further (live odds).

“I have evolved after the last few fights,” Whittaker said. “I still think my biggest evolution is still to come. I’m still young and I’m gaining experience as I fight. Fighting these high-caliber guys is going to give me a level of experience that not a lot of fighters can achieve. To be able to fight an icon of the sport is a huge thing for me. Not only I’m gaining experience, [but] I can get an insight into areas I need to work on, and that will help me further down the line.”

Whittaker feels he holds an advantage over anyone in the division when he can keep the fight standing. Ahead of his clash with Souza, the Kiwi has placed an emphasis on takedown defense and working off his back.

“He’s a tried-and-tested grappler; I’m a tried-and-tested striker,” Whittaker said. “I’ve been striking my whole life. I was born and bred for this. I definitely see myself having an advantage on the feet. My game plan isn’t hard to work out. I’m going to try to keep it standing, and he will have to get me to the ground if he wants to win.”

When Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman locked horns in the UFC 210 co-main event on Saturday in Buffalo, New York, Whittaker watched with vested interest. Only recently has he begun to look at pairings atop the division and consider the idea that he could be watching his future opponents at work. Despite the fact that he sees George St. Pierre as an icon of the sport, Whittaker does not have much interest in facing the former champion in the future. St. Pierre recently announced his return to MMA after a long sabbatical and expects to challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight championship later this year.

“It’s not really exciting to me,” Whittaker said. “I grew up watching GSP, and I’ve always considered him an icon. He was one of my favorite fighters, and now he’s in my division. I don’t really want to fight him, but if he does stay in the division, I guess I’ll have to fight him. I don’t see him sticking around in the middleweight division. It’s a hard division; it really is. I just don’t see it happening.”

After his controversial win over Weidman, Mousasi underscored the lack of confidence the masses seem to have in Bisping as champion. “Do you think I’m scared of fighting Michael Bisping?” he rhetorically asked the gathered media at the UFC 210 post-fight press conference. The nonchalant look on Mousasi’s face provided his answer. The Ultimate Fighting Championship had targeted a meeting between Whittaker and Bisping at UFC 193 in November 2015. “The Count” withdrew with an injury and later went on to upset Luke Rockhold for the middleweight championship. Whittaker heaped praise on Bisping and dismissed the idea that other top contender at 185 pounds would provide stiffer tests than the Brit.

“I think it’s great that he’s on top of the division,” he said. “Good on him. He stuck with it. He showed a lot of heart. He put in his hard work, he put in the graft and he got the belt. I have got a lot of respect for him, but I’m still going to take the belt off him. I definitely don’t think he’s the easiest matchup at the top of the division. He’s up there for a good reason. He’s a veteran, and he’s top-class fighter. Thinking he’s an easy fight is absolutely ridiculous.”

Whittaker expects Bisping to retain his title against St. Pierre.

“I see Bisping having every tool to beat GSP,” he said. “As good as GSP is, I’m personally backing Bisping.”

The 26-year-old Whittaker knows he can open the door to a possible title shot with a spectacular finish against Souza, much like the one he authored at Derek Brunson’s expense in the UFC Fight Night 101 main event on Nov. 26. While he believes he has the necessary tools to dispatch “Jacare,” he plans to enter their battle expectation-free, prepared to go 15 minutes if the situation calls for it.

“He’s a tough dude,” Whittaker said. “It would be foolish of me to go out there and think I’m going to finish him quick. He’s a very tough dude. He’s been in a lot of great fights, and he has a ton of experience. He’s been on the good end and the bad end. I’m not going in there with any big expectation, but I’m going to do everything in my power to finish him.”