Sydney-based knockout artist Robert Whittaker is chasing the ultimate prize for his spoils of war, a UFC championship.
The 25-year-old middleweight has skyrocketed toward the top of the 185-pound mountain after just three fights at his natural weight class.
Sitting pretty as the seventh-ranked middleweight in the world, Whittaker aims to jump into serious title discussions with a win over serviceable Brazilian veteran Rafael Natal on the main card of Sunday’s UFC 197 pay-per-view.
Speaking with The Roar last week from his hotel room in Las Vegas, the rising contender said he expects a classic striker-versus-grappler bout.
“He’s not gonna stand with me,” Whittaker laughed “And if he does, he’ll become a wrestler real quick,”
“I definitely want to keep it on the feet, that’s where I’m most dangerous and that’s also how I like fighting, but I’ve got measures in place if it goes to the ground.”
A win for the surging Aussie fighter would bump him into the deep end of the shark-infested middleweight waters – the same waters shared by former UFC champions Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman.
The possibilities of the Aussie fighting in big-money matches and main events against these masters of the craft is a daunting task, but Whittaker says he “likes his chances.”
“I want to fight them all,” the confident fighter continued.
“I want to be known as the best and to be the best you have to fight everyone and beat everyone. It’s not a numbers game, it’s just about getting the belt, beating everyone and being the best.”
Australia is a nation that has had fleeting success at the highest levels of the UFC. The last time a fighter from Down Under competed for championship gold in the Octagon was in 2001 when long-serving king Tito Ortiz mopped the floor with Sydney’s Elvis Sinosic.
Fellow Sydneysider Mark Hunt challenged for an interim UFC title in 2014 and despite a strong opening round, ended his night looking up at the lights, too.
Whittaker aims to buck the trend of Aussies losing in title fights, but there’s no mistaking that he has a steep hill to climb before he even challenges for a UFC title, let alone wins one.
The New South Wales-based slugger has passed every test with flying colours since bulking up to the middleweight division, finishing via knockout in three of his four wins. The only thing missing from his resume is a signature win against a cream-of-the-crop fighter.
Furthermore, until we see Whittaker in the cage against the murderers row of fighters at 185-pounds, it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not he will sink or swim.
If I were a betting man, though, I would guess that Whittaker would have mixed results against the championship-level fighters.
Let’s take a quick look at the top of the pecking order, and how Whittaker stacks up in the most talent-rich middleweight class of all-time.
5. Anderson Silva
At 41-years-of-age, the once-unstoppable Silva has not tacked a win onto his record since 2012 and is clearly at the tail end of his career.
Against Michael Bisping in February, the Brazilian striker showed sporadic flashes of greatness but spent large portions of the fight being outstruck by the cardio kickboxer.
In a similar fight, I give Whittaker a realistic shot of beating one of the all-time greats who appears to be passed his expiration date in 2016.
4. Michael Bisping
I have a sinking feeling that Bisping-versus-Whittaker could be something special: The pace, pressure and bottomless gas tank of Bisping against the power and combination punching of Whittaker.
In a three-round fight, I think the Aussie could stun his British counterpart a few times, perhaps even knock him down, and get ahead on the score cards.
In a five-rounder? The odds would have to shift toward the crafty veteran to sneak ahead.
3. Vitor Belfort
The former light heavyweight champion is still a dangerous fighter almost two decades removed from his UFC debut, a fact underlined by the only losses on his record since 2009 being to Chris Weidman, Jon Jones, and ‘The Spider’ Silva.
That being said, the blueprint is out on how to beat ‘The Phenom’ – just don’t get knocked out for seven minutes.
Almost every fighter who has taken the future Hall of Famer past the first round has emerged victorious, and with Whittaker’s sturdy chin I would like his chances to replicate their success.
2. Ronaldo Souza
Unlike the others discussed thus far, ‘Jacare’ is not a striker by preference.
Souza, a multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, does his best work on the Octagon canvas and I’m inclined to believe he would get it there against the Sydney brawler.
For all Whittaker’s improvements patching the holes in his wrestling base, the 36-year-old grappler is masterful with his trips and takedowns, and would tie him up like a pretzel if given the opportunity.
1. Chris Weidman
Weidman, the recently dethroned UFC champion, is probably the worst stylistic match-up on the roster for the Aussie sprawl-and-brawler.
The American is not as dangerous as Whittaker on the feet, but he’s more than serviceable as a boxer, has a rock-solid chin, and is a relentless wrestler with a bottomless bag of tricks – a combo that spells a long night for the power puncher.
Champion: Luke Rockhold
It’s been said a million times but ‘styles make fights’. I actually give Australia’s finest a better chance of knocking the champion off his throne than the top challenger.
In Rockhold’s only two losses, big hitters have unloaded with power shots and put him on ice within a few minutes. With Whittaker’s smooth boxing and knockout power, it’s a possibility, even if only a slight one.
More often than not, though, I suspect the Californian surfer would cruise to victory or lock up a submission before the closing siren.
Whittaker probably has the best chance of any Aussie resident on the roster right now to win a UFC title, though, mainly because he has Father Time on his side.
At just 25 in a division that houses real mover-and-shakers deep into their 30s, ‘The Reaper’ still has several years to develop.
“I don’t really put a time frame on it,” a candid Whittaker said of winning the UFC title. “It is an objective of mine. I intend to get that one day (but) I don’t know how near or far away that goal is.”
Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title…
A bloodied Tim Tszyu has been cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion…
Liam Wilson has suffered further heartbreak in Arizona, the Australian boxer losing his super-featherweight world-title fight against Mexican Oscar Valdez. In front of a…
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
Jason Moloney has survived an enthralling 12-round world title defence against Saul Sanchez in Canada, opening the door to a blockbuster unification fight in…
