History of Robert Whittaker (fighter) in Timeline

Robert Whittaker is an Australian professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC's Middleweight division. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and the first Australian to win a UFC championship. As of February 4, 2025, he is ranked #5 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Whittaker is known for his striking and grappling skills, and his competitive spirit.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

December 1990: Robert Whittaker's Birth

Robert John Whittaker was born in December 1990.

2008: Signed with Xtreme Fighting Championships

In 2008, Robert Whittaker signed with Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championships.

2008: Ronaldo Souza Unfinished Streak Ended

In April 2017, Robert Whittaker became the first person since 2008 to finish Ronaldo Souza in a fight.

March 2009: MMA Debut

On March 14, 2009, Robert Whittaker made his professional MMA debut against Chris Tallowin, winning by TKO in the first round.

2009: Start of MMA Career

Robert Whittaker began his professional MMA career in 2009.

October 2011: First MMA Loss

On October 30, 2011, Robert Whittaker suffered his first professional MMA loss to Hoon Kim at Legend Fighting Championships 6 in Cotai, Macau, losing via submission in the first round.

2011: Cage Fighting Championships

From 2009 to 2011, Robert Whittaker competed in Cage Fighting Championships, achieving a 6-0 record, including a win over Ben Alloway.

December 2012: UFC Debut and TUF: The Smashes Win

On December 15, 2012, Robert Whittaker made his UFC debut at UFC on FX 6, also known as "The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Finale", defeating Brad Scott via unanimous decision to win the welterweight tournament.

2012: Selection for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes

In 2012, Robert Whittaker was selected as a cast member for the first series of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, representing a team of Australians against a team from the United Kingdom.

May 2013: Victory Over Colton Smith at UFC 160

On May 25, 2013, Robert Whittaker defeated Colton Smith by TKO in the third round at UFC 160.

August 2013: Loss to Court McGee

On August 28, 2013, Robert Whittaker lost to Court McGee via split decision at UFC Fight Night 27.

December 2013: Fight Cancellation

In December 2013, Robert Whittaker's scheduled fight against Brian Melancon at UFC Fight Night 33 was canceled after Melancon pulled out due to injury and subsequently retired.

February 2014: Loss to Stephen Thompson

On February 22, 2014, Robert Whittaker faced Stephen Thompson at UFC 170 and lost via TKO in the first round.

June 2014: Victory Over Mike Rhodes

On June 28, 2014, Robert Whittaker defeated Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 43.

November 2014: Victory Over Clint Hester

On November 8, 2014, Robert Whittaker faced Clint Hester in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 55 and won via TKO in the second round, earning his first Fight of the Night bonus award.

May 2015: Knockout Victory Over Brad Tavares

On May 10, 2015, Robert Whittaker defeated Brad Tavares by knockout in the first round at UFC Fight Night 65, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

November 2015: Victory over Uriah Hall

On November 15, 2015, Robert Whittaker defeated Uriah Hall by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28) at UFC 193 after Michael Bisping pulled out of the fight due to an elbow injury.

2015: Freestyle Wrestling Competition

Robert Whittaker began competing in freestyle wrestling in 2015, winning all three of his bouts at the Australia Cup in Canberra.

April 2016: Unanimous Decision Victory Over Rafael Natal

On April 23, 2016, Robert Whittaker won a unanimous decision against Rafael Natal at UFC 197.

November 2016: TKO Victory Over Derek Brunson

On November 27, 2016, Robert Whittaker defeated Derek Brunson via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 101, earning the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus awards.

April 2017: TKO Victory Over Ronaldo Souza

On April 15, 2017, Robert Whittaker defeated Ronaldo Souza by second-round TKO at UFC on Fox 24, becoming the first person to finish Souza since 2008. This victory also earned Whittaker his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

May 2017: Gold Medal at Australian National Wrestling Championships

In May 2017, Robert Whittaker returned to the wrestling mat at the Australian National Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal in the 97 kg division.

July 2017: Interim Middleweight Champion

On July 8, 2017, Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision at UFC 213 to win the interim middleweight title, becoming the first Australian and first New Zealand-born fighter to hold a UFC title. This win also earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award.

November 2017: Commonwealth Games Qualification

In November 2017, Robert Whittaker claimed first place in his division at Australia's 2018 Commonwealth Games 97 kg qualifying tournament, qualifying to represent Australia in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

December 2017: Promotion to Undisputed Champion

On December 7, 2017, Robert Whittaker was promoted to undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the title.

2017: UFC Middleweight Champion

In 2017, Robert Whittaker was promoted to undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the title.

January 2018: Whittaker's Health Scare

On January 13, 2018, it was reported that Robert Whittaker had pulled out of UFC 221 due to an undisclosed injury. On January 20, 2018, Dana White confirmed that Whittaker was in serious condition after being improperly treated for a staph infection in his stomach.

February 2018: Pulled Out of UFC 221

Robert Whittaker was slated for his first title defence at UFC 221 against Luke Rockhold on February 10, 2018, but pulled out due to an undisclosed injury.

March 2018: Commonwealth Games Selection

In March 2018, it was confirmed that Robert Whittaker would be one of eight Australians to compete in the Commonwealth Games wrestling competition in April 2018.

April 2018: Commonwealth Games Withdrawal

In April 2018, Robert Whittaker was forced to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games in order not to risk being stripped of his UFC championship title.

June 2018: UFC 225 against Yoel Romero

In June 2018, Whittaker was concerned about an injury which would render him unable to compete for the middleweight championship at UFC 225 against Yoel Romero.

June 2018: Rematch Victory Over Yoel Romero

On June 9, 2018, Robert Whittaker won a close split decision against Yoel Romero at UFC 225 in a non-title catchweight bout after Romero missed weight. Whittaker received a $100,000 bonus for their 'Fight of The Night'.

July 2018: Ultimate Fighter 28 Coach

In July 2018, the UFC announced that Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum had been selected as coaches for Ultimate Fighter 28.

November 2018: Emergency Surgery

On November 2, 2018, it was announced that Robert Whittaker's next middleweight title defense would be against Kelvin Gastelum in February at UFC 234. However, Whittaker pulled out of the event a few hours beforehand after he was forced to undergo emergency dual surgery immediately, due to an abdominal hernia of the intestine and a twisted and collapsed bowel.

October 2019: Loss of Middleweight Championship

On October 6, 2019, Robert Whittaker lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Israel Adesanya via second-round knockout at UFC 243.

January 2020: Withdrawal from Jared Cannonier Fight

On January 15, 2020, Robert Whittaker withdrew from his scheduled fight against Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 for undisclosed reasons.

March 2020: Scheduled Fight Cancellation

Robert Whittaker was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248, but he pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons.

April 2020: Burnout Revelation

In late April 2020, Robert Whittaker revealed in an interview that he withdrew from the bout and training altogether due to burnout.

July 2020: Victory over Darren Till

On July 26, 2020, Robert Whittaker defeated Darren Till via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till.

October 2020: Victory over Jared Cannonier

On October 24, 2020, Robert Whittaker defeated Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision at UFC 254.

April 2021: Victory over Kelvin Gastelum

On April 17, 2021, Robert Whittaker defeated Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 22, earning the Fight of the Night award.

February 2022: Loss to Israel Adesanya

On February 12, 2022, Robert Whittaker lost to Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision in a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 271.

June 2022: Whittaker Withdraws from Fight

In June 2022, Robert Whittaker withdrew from his scheduled fight against Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 for undisclosed reasons.

September 2022: Victory over Marvin Vettori

On September 3, 2022, Robert Whittaker defeated Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 209.

February 2023: Fight Announcement Dispute

In February 2023, Paulo Costa disputed the official announcement that he would fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 284, stating that he had never signed a contract.

July 2023: Loss to Dricus du Plessis

On July 8, 2023, Robert Whittaker lost to Dricus du Plessis via technical knockout in the second round at UFC 290 in a UFC Middleweight title eliminator fight.

February 2024: Victory over Paulo Costa

On February 17, 2024, Robert Whittaker defeated Paulo Costa by unanimous decision at UFC 298 after surviving a head kick at the end of the first round.

June 2024: Victory over Ikram Aliskerov

On June 22, 2024, Robert Whittaker defeated Ikram Aliskerov by knockout in the first round at UFC on ABC 6, earning another Performance of the Night award after Khamzat Chimaev withdrew due to illness.

October 2024: Loss to Khamzat Chimaev

On October 26, 2024, Robert Whittaker lost to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 via a face-crank submission in the first round, resulting in a dislocated jaw.