Breakout fighters for 2016: Robert Whittaker
Once Robert Whittaker decided to stop cutting so much weight, his career quickly took flight.
The winner of the second international season of “The Ultimate Fighter” decided the drastic toll getting to 170 pounds was taking on his body just wasn’t conducive to long-term success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a victory over Mike Rhodes in June 2014.
The decision to move up to the middleweight division quickly paid off and has Whittaker on the verge of a breaking out as a major star.
Whittaker scored highlight-reel knockouts of Clint Hester and Brad Tavares in his first two fights at 185 pounds, then extended the win streak to three with an impressive performance in a unanimous decision victory over Uriah Hall in November.
Whittaker has moved into the top 10 in the middleweight division and is primed to make another leap.
He is aggressive, powerful and well-rounded. Whittaker is also just 25 and appears to be improving with every fight.
The New Zealand native has all the tools to one day become champion now that he has settled into what appears to be the proper weight class.
Whittaker has more than justified his spot on the list of CoveringTheCage.com’s potential breakout stars for 2016.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamilllvrj
