Robert Whittaker (fighter)
| Robert Whittaker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Robert Whittaker December 20, 1990 New Zealand |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Style | Karate, Hapkido |
| Fighting out of | Menai, New South Wales |
| Team |
PMA Super Martial Arts Tristar Gym |
| Rank |
black belt in Karate black belt in Hapkido |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 14 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Robert Whittaker (born December 20, 1990) is an Australian mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Whittaker has made a name for himself fighting throughout Australia and Asia. He was a competitor on the first installment of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and won the Welterweight tournament.
Mixed martial arts career
Robert's father, Jack Whittaker, was a believer in the values of martial arts so he enrolled Robert in karate at an early age.[1] After training in the discipline for a little over eight years, Robert switched to a Hapkido gym ran by Henry Perez.[1][2] In 2003 Perez transformed his gym into a MMA gym. Having no other choice, Whittaker began training in MMA and was immediately hooked.[1]
In 2009 Whittaker began competing in MMA as a professional. He signed with Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championships and made his debut March 14, 2009 against fellow pro debutee Chris Tallowin. Whittaker won the fight via TKO in the first round.[3] 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.[3]
On October 30, 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.[3] Whittaker bounced from the loss and won two straight before suffering his second loss to Jesse Juarez, bringing his overall record to 9–2.[3]
The Ultimate Fighter
Whittaker was selected as a cast member for the first installment of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes;[4] 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.[5] The knockout also earned Whittaker an additional $25,000 for "Knockout of the Season".[6]
In the semi-final 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. In the finals Whittaker fought Team UK favorite Brad Scott.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Whittaker made his UFC debut on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson 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 May 25, 2013 at UFC 160.[7] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.
Whittaker faced Court McGee on August 28, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27.[8] He lost the fight via split decision.
Whittaker was expected to face Brian Melancon on December 7, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 33.[9] However, Melancon pulled out of the bout citing an injury and subsequently retired. As a result, Whittaker was removed from the card as well.[10]
Whittaker is expected to face Stephen Thompson on February 22, 2014 at UFC 170.[11]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight Tournament Winner
- The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Knockout of the Season
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 14 matches | 11 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss | 11–3 | Court McGee | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 | August 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 11–2 | Colton Smith | TKO (punches) | UFC 160 | May 25, 2013 | 3 | 0:41 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 10–2 | Brad Scott | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson | December 15, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight Final |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss | 9–2 | Jesse Juarez | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Fighting Championships 21 | May 18, 2012 | 5 | 5:00 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 9–1 | Shaun Spooner | TKO (punches) | Superfight Australia 13 | March 23, 2012 | 1 | 4:01 | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | Won SFA Championship |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 8–1 | Ian Bone | TKO (punches) | Cage Fighting Championships 19 | December 9, 2011 | 1 | 3:15 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss | 7–1 | Hoon Kim | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Legend Fighting Championship 6 | October 30, 2011 | 1 | 3:01 | Cotai, Macau, China | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 7–0 | Corey Nelson | Submission (armbar) | Cage Fighting Championships 18 | August 26, 2011 | 1 | 4:40 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 6–0 | Ben Alloway | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 17 | June 3, 2011 | 1 | 4:07 | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 5–0 | Nate Thomson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 15 | October 8, 2010 | 1 | 2:21 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 4–0 | Jay Cobain | Submission (armbar) | Cage Fighting Championships 14 | June 5, 2010 | 1 | 0:32 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 3–0 | Nick Ariel | KO (punch) | Cage Fighting Championships 12 | March 12, 2010 | 1 | 2:50 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 2–0 | Richard Walsh | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 11 | November 20, 2009 | 1 | 2:40 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 1–0 | Chris Tallowin | TKO (punches) | XFC 14 | March 14, 2009 | 1 | N/A | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Legend Fighting Championships - Fighters - Robert Whittaker". legendfc.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Robert Whittaker - The Ultimate Fighter". tuf.tv. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Fight Finder". Sherdog.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Cast Announced for TUF Smashes". ufc.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ↑ "TUF ‘The Smashes’ Episode 3 Recap: Action in the House Heats Up". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Whittaker, Fletcher, Scott and Alloway each score $25K 'TUF' season bonuses". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ↑ "'TUF' champs Robert Whittaker and Colton Smith join UFC 160 lineup". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Staff. "Robert Whittaker vs. Brian Melancon added to UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 10-02-2013.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Matt Erickson. "UFC 170 adds Stephen Thompson vs. ‘TUF’ winner Robert Whittaker". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
External links
- Professional MMA record for Robert Whittaker from Sherdog
- Robert Whittaker on Twitter
- Robert Whittaker (fighter) on Facebook
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