Robert Whittaker silenced every doubt about his move to light heavyweight at UFC 329, finishing his opponent by TKO at just 1 minute and 1 second of round three.
Throughout Whittaker’s light heavyweight debut against Nikita Krylov, Rogan repeatedly remarked on how much bigger and heavier the former middleweight looked.
Rogan’s commentary made for what many described as an awkward post-bout interview after Whittaker had just silenced doubts with a dominant knockout victory.
The former middleweight champion wasted no time making a statement in his new division, and in the post-bout octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Whittaker made it clear he heard all the critics.
Before Rogan could even finish his first question about the transition to light heavyweight, Whittaker jumped straight at the people who had written him off.
“Feast your eyes on that, Reddit. Too small for light heavy? He’s a small light heavyweight. Come on, get some of that in you,” Whittaker said, referencing the online chatter about his frame and whether he could compete with the bigger athletes at 205 pounds (93 kg).
Whittaker admitted that the nerves were real heading into the match. Moving up from middleweight at 185 pounds (84 kg) on the back of two consecutive losses at 185 pounds (84 kg) was a gamble, and he knew it.
“Everybody’s seen guys move up and slide down off back-to-back losses,” Whittaker told Rogan. “Just coming back. Bobby’s still got it by the looks of things.”
The match itself proved Whittaker belonged at the weight. He described how he approached the entire camp with a healthy respect for the danger of the light heavyweight division, training as though every shot from his opponent could end the matchup. But once the cage door closed, the reality told a different story.
“I trained for the entire camp kind of with the idea that my opponent’s going to be the boogeyman, that every touch will kill me. And that’s not the case,” Whittaker explained. “I came in nice and heavy. I trained hard. Cardio’s to the point. Had an excellent game plan. And mate, I hit as hard as anybody else.”
Whittaker’s speed, always a weapon at middleweight, looked even more dangerous at light heavyweight. When asked about staying at the weight, Whittaker gave the most definitive answer possible.
“This is my home now. The middleweight page is closed. Proud of the work I did there, but light heavyweight Bobby is here,” he declared.
With that emphatic finish and a new home at 205 pounds (93 kg), Robert Whittaker enters the light heavyweight title conversation immediately. The questions about his size and durability should finally stop.
