Robert Whittaker taking time to 'chill' before 'smashing' next opponent

Former middleweight champion and third-ranked 185-pound contender Robert Whittaker has put together back-to-back wins this year rebounding from a loss to Dricus Du Plessis in July 2023.  

Fresh off of his UFC Saudi Arabia first-round knockout win over Ikram Aliskerov, Whittaker would like some time off before returning to the octagon.  

“I do know that the hard truth in the UFC is that winning opens doors, so win fights,” Whittaker said during an appearance on From The Stands.  “That’s also, fortunately enough, how I make a living.  That’s how I earn the bread for my family.  

“Honestly, I’m just going to take some time to chill.  I took the last fight pretty quickly after [Paulo] Costa.  It’s honestly felt like one really long camp,” Whittaker continued.  “I’m going to take the family away a little bit and just cruise, but I look to smash whoever they put in front of me afterwards.”  

Whittaker was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC Saudi Arabia main event but illness forced Chimaev out of the fight.  After Whittaker’s win, Chimaev tweeted ‘We are not done.”  Whittaker isn’t opposed to rebooking a fight with Chimaev but says it’s really up to the fight promotion.  

“I’m a middleweight and I don’t pick my fights.  If that’s a fight the UFC wants and is still interested in making – They want me to headline another card out that way, it’s what I do,” Whittaker said.  “Our paths are sure to cross.  We’re both Top 10 middleweights.  It’s kind of the game.”