is Whittaker past his prime?

[TerraRayzing]

He's only 33 but he has been at it for years and has taken damage. Do you think Whittaker is past his prime?
If yes, do you think a prime Whittaker would have beaten DDP? That fight was the first time I felt Whittaker was slowing down a little as his blitz wasn't as effective but that might be DDP's skills too.
That Costa fight was another indication that Whittaker has slowed but again, he said he wanted to stand in front with Costa to prove a point.

 

[Substance Abuse]

Yes. He's 32 fights deep and fifteen years in. He's been in some wars and has also had many injuries. You can see it in his reaction time, and his ability to absorb damage.

 

[linvillegorge]

He seems to get hurt easier every fight. Can't remember the last time he didn't do a stanky leg in a fight.

 

[TerraRayzing]

Yes. He's 32 fights deep and fifteen years in. He's been in some wars and has also had many injuries. You can see it in his reaction time, and his ability to absorb damage.

Agreed. He never had the best chin but he was so much faster than his opponents that he was able to avoid.
His reaction timing and speed have definitely slowed, reason why he's been getting caught so often lately.

 

[filthybliss]

He’s still title contender worthy but his best days were 5 yrs ago.

 

[Bork Neslar]

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[Question]

I'd say yes, but he is still a very solid fighter for the most part.
For the DDP bout, I'd mainly lean on DDP just having a good gameplan and style to matchup with him. He started to time Rob's blitz and go jab for jab with him(DDP has a good amount of reach over him).
Costa bout was a bit out of character with how he usually fights, it worked out for him there however I'm not sure if he'll continue doing this in his upcoming bouts.

And considering how long he's been at the higher end of middleweight, there's a ton of footage on him so guys are also getting better at neutralizing his offense or countering it.

 

[mkt]

He's probably somewhere between the twilight of his prime and moderately passed it, similar to Poirier and Gaethje. Some fighters gradually pass their prime but can still win favorable match-ups with good fighters and have (losing) wars with the best fighters. Others have one loss (usually a devastating KO) and are never the same. Josh Koscheck was like that after Lawler KO'd him (he was also 35 at the time). He never won another fight and even lost to Jake Ellenberger and Erick Silva when both of their careers were on similar declines.

Whittaker seems to be in the first (gradual decline) category. I think he's still Top 5 but not as good as he was 5 years ago.

 

[loisestrad]

Maybe. Maybe not.

Depends.

 

[linvillegorge]

He's probably somewhere between the twilight of his prime and moderately passed it, similar to Poirier and Gaethje. Some fighters gradually pass their prime but can still win favorable match-ups with good fighters and have (losing) wars with the best fighters. Others have one loss (usually a devastating KO) and are never the same. Josh Koscheck was like that after Lawler KO'd him (he was also 35 at the time).

Whittaker seems to be in the latter category. I think he's still Top 5 but not as good as he was 5 years ago.

I'd put him more in the Gaethje camp. Gaethje and Whittaker's chins are clearly fading. Poirier still takes shots well. Gaethje's chin in his prime was ridiculous. When he gets hit cleanly these days he gets hurt. Then he got straight up kill shotted by a FW who has never been known for his one punch KO power

 

[BangBang]

I'd put him more in the Gaethje camp. Gaethje and Whittaker's chins are clearly fading. Poirier still takes shots well. Gaethje's chin in his prime was ridiculous. When he gets hit cleanly these days he gets hurt. Then he got straight up kill shotted by a FW who has never been known for his one punch KO power

After a taking a full power spinning back kick on the chin

 

[Wreckless]

The 2 Romero fights probably aged him 10 years. Especially that 2nd one.

He's passed his peak but still elite and one of the best in the division.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

He's probably somewhere between the twilight of his prime and moderately passed it, similar to Poirier and Gaethje. Some fighters gradually pass their prime but can still win favorable match-ups with good fighters and have (losing) wars with the best fighters. Others have one loss (usually a devastating KO) and are never the same. Josh Koscheck was like that after Lawler KO'd him (he was also 35 at the time). He never won another fight and even lost to Jake Ellenberger and Erick Silva when both of their careers were on similar declines.

Whittaker seems to be in the first (gradual decline) category. I think he's still Top 5 but not as good as he was 5 years ago.

Lest we forget that Paulo Thiago also KO'd Kos. Not really sure where that one falls chronologically, relative to the two that you mentioned. But I just wanted to bring it up bc mods won't let me bump necro threads about guys like Paulo Thiago. That is all.

 

[mkt]

I'd put him more in the Gaethje camp. Gaethje and Whittaker's chins are clearly fading. Poirier still takes shots well. Gaethje's chin in his prime was ridiculous. When he gets hit cleanly these days he gets hurt. Then he got straight up kill shotted by a FW who has never been known for his one punch KO power

I don't know...I mean Gaethje beat Poirier not too long ago so I'd say they're similar and kind of a toss-up if they fight again. Gaethje took a LOT of punishment before that last blow in the final seconds of the 5th round. I agree his chin isn't what it used to be and that he's slowed down a bit. I think that fight was a combination of a few things: Max having an incredible gameplan and one of his best fights ever, Gaethje underestimating and thinking he can just brawl like he was still 27 years old, the huge blow Gaethje ate early and never fully recovered from, etc.

 

[mkt]

Lest we forget that Paulo Thiago also KO'd Kos. Not really sure where that one falls chronologically, relative to the two that you mentioned. But I just wanted to bring it up bc mods won't let me bump necro threads about guys like Paulo Thiago. That is all.

Yeah, Koscheck's chin was always a little suspect. But he went life-and-death with prime Hendricks before the Lawler fight and looked as good as ever. My point was that he never recovered (like he did after Paulo Thiago) and went from Top 5-ish to near bottom of WW very quickly. Some guys exit their prime in a freefalll like that. Others gradually fade.

 

[FreddieRoachsVoice]

Definitely over the peak of his career but definitely not fully washed up. His chin seems to be on the decline which is understandable after a lot of wars. In his prime, he decisions du Plessis easily IMHO.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

He is passed his prime but he's also still championship level. Not everyone declines rapidly, some decline very slowly and Whittaker seems to be one of the latter.

 

[RoyJonesJr]

In terms of reflexes yes


But he can overcome slowing down by adding new tools to his game

 

[USA!USA!]

Of course he is - doesn't mean he still isn't elite.

 

[Ludwig von Mises]

His peak was in 2018. It's now 2024 but your average shertard will tell you he's still in his prime because "he's only 33"