Robert Whittaker Record: 26-9-0

Rise to champion

At 185 pounds Whittaker became a different fighter. He rattled off wins over Mike Rhodes and Clint Hester, then a first-round KO of Brad Tavares in 2015 and decisions over Uriah Hall and Rafael Natal. His ascent accelerated with a first-round head-kick TKO of Derek Brunson in 2016 and a second-round TKO of former title challenger Ronaldo Souza in 2017. That set up a five-round war with Yoel Romero at UFC 213 in July 2017, which Whittaker won by unanimous decision to claim the interim middleweight championship, fighting much of the bout through a knee injury. He defended the belt by split decision in a 2018 rematch with Romero, cementing his status atop the division.

Title fights and the elite years

Whittaker's reign ended at UFC 243 in October 2019, when Israel Adesanya stopped him with a counter left hook in the second round in front of a record Australian crowd. He responded like a champion, rebuilding with unanimous-decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum to earn a 2022 rematch with Adesanya at UFC 271, which he lost by unanimous decision. He bounced back by outpointing Marvin Vettori, absorbed a second-round TKO from Dricus Du Plessis in 2023, then reeled off a decision over Paulo Costa and a first-round KO of Ikram Aliskerov in 2024. More recently he was submitted by Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 and dropped a five-round split decision to Reinier de Ridder in 2025, with a bout against Nikita Krylov scheduled for UFC 329 in 2026.

Fighting style

Whittaker is a technician's technician: a sharp, counter-heavy striker with excellent footwork, feints and a piston-like jab, backed by an underrated wrestling base and high-level jiu-jitsu. His finishing breakdown reflects his balance — 10 KO/TKO and five submissions among his 26 wins, with 11 going to decision and an overall 58% finish rate — and his championship pedigree was built as much on five-round stamina and fight IQ as on power. His clearest vulnerability has been against the division's biggest punchers and the new wave of elite grapplers, but few middleweights have matched his consistency over a decade at the top.

Career highlights

• UFC middleweight champion — beat Yoel Romero at UFC 213 in 2017 to capture the title and became Australia's first UFC champion, defending it in a 2018 rematch.
• The Ultimate Fighter winner — won the welterweight tournament on TUF: The Smashes to launch his UFC career in 2012.
• Elite-tier longevity — remained a top contender for years after losing the belt, with wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa.