Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been considering a move up to light heavyweight for some time. After back-to-back losses in the 185-pound division, “The Reaper” confirmed he will move up to light heavyweight for his next fight.
“I got a good rest after the last game. I rested a little bit. I did some other stuff and it gave me a time to really settle in and figure out what I wanted to do next,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “I’m locked in now. I’m locked in June. I want to get in there. I want to fight again. I want to fight in June at 205 most likely.”
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“I’m going to give it a try,” he said. “I want to give it a try. I’m at the end of my career, so I’m going to try and not just think about what-ifs.”
The decision to move up a weight class was not made on a whim. Whittaker has been considering the idea for “a long time.”
“I’ve been thinking about this idea for a long time,” he said. “During the break, I trained heavier. I wanted to lock in and get into this weight class.”
Whittaker has no problem with the 186-pound limit at middleweight, but he wonders if the cut has affected his performance.
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“There’s no question I can make it to middleweight. I can still do it. I can make the weight cut, but I just don’t know if it’s like, if I’m going to be the best I can be, you know, have to make the weight cut because training camp performance does take a hit on the back end of the cut,” Whitaker said.
“I don’t know. Try something different. That’s my life.”
