is Whittaker past his prime?

[mkt]

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

The problem is some here don't understand nuance or how being past your prime is relative. There's slightly past your prime (Whittaker/Poirier) and there's light years beyond your prime (Tony Ferguson) and other levels in between.

 

[Poirierfan]

Yes, and imo whitaker's chin isn't what it use to be either.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

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.

How does a guy with 32 fights that has been KO'd once with 2 TKO losses not have a chin? Isn't getting hit but not KO'd direct evidence that one does indeed have a CHIN?

Chuck getting KO'd by Tito is a case of "No Chin". Are we now going to say Darren Elkins has no chin?

 

[TerraRayzing]

How does a guy with 32 fights that has been KO'd once with 2 TKO losses not have a chin? Isn't getting hit but not KO'd direct evidence that one does indeed have a CHIN?

Chuck getting KO'd by Tito is a case of "No Chin". Are we now going to say Darren Elkins has no chin?

When did I say that he "doesn't have a chin"?

 

[linvillegorge]

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.

Agreed on all points

 

[J'Ghasta]

No. He just isnt some GOAT tier fighter hes made to be by his nuthuggers and hit his ceiling in the division. His wins over divisional boogeyman Romero is what made them all think he was something he isnt. This is still the same guy who lost to Court McGee and Stephen Thompson at welterweight.

 

[Alpha_T83]

As a huge Whittaker fan myself, I hate to say it but I think he has passed his prime and is declining. He never seemed quite the same after those two fights with Yoel Romero. Those two men went to war for 50 minutes, and neither was the same afterwards.

I think if Whittaker gets by Aliskerov, the most sensible fight after that is Whittaker vs Strickland for the #1 contender. And I don't think Whittaker wins that fight.

 

[Dorkman]

Yep, he's not on like a free fall yet, but the signs are there. 34 in december, a large number of fights to his name, visible signs he's not quite as fast as he once was, and seems to be getting stunned by strikes a tad easier(whether that be his chin degrading, or just not getting out of the way of the brunt of the impact as well being slower). With the way Rob likes to strike darting in and out with his hands mostly down it's a pretty safe assumption his best days are behind him. But it does seem like he still has enough left in the tank so far to put up some decent fights, just very unlikely to ever do so at championship level again.

 

[jx820]

Yeah, unquestionably the best version of him is in the past. He's got a ton of milage on him. At the same time, I think he's indisputably still in the top 5, I just don't see a path to the belt for him if either Izzy or DDP are holding it.

 

[Luckyme]

I think he's at the beginning of his decline. Doesn't mean he's not a great fighter - a slightly past prime Whittaker can still beat most people - but given the miles on him it's safe to say his physical prime is probably behind him.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

When did I say that he "doesn't have a chin"?

It was in the post of yours that I quoted.
You literally said "He never had the best chin".

 

[Kenny Powerth]

Sadly yes but I thought he looked GREAT in his last fight

 

[CatchtheseHands]

I'd say he is, and if not he's definitely very close to being past it. Desean vs costa wasn't competitive where as Rob vs Costa was.. I think that tells it all.

 

[Mammothman]

He is clearly past his best, prime Whittaker would have never looked the way he did vs Costa in his last fight.

 

[TerraRayzing]

It was in the post of yours that I quoted.
You literally said "He never had the best chin".

Never the best chin vs never had a chin.
Try again.

 

[Ludwig von Mises]

Yep, he's not on like a free fall yet, but the signs are there. 34 in december, a large number of fights to his name, visible signs he's not quite as fast as he once was, and seems to be getting stunned by strikes a tad easier(whether that be his chin degrading, or just not getting out of the way of the brunt of the impact as well being slower). With the way Rob likes to strike darting in and out with his hands mostly down it's a pretty safe assumption his best days are behind him. But it does seem like he still has enough left in the tank so far to put up some decent fights, just very unlikely to ever do so at championship level again.

There are rarely "signs"

This isn't a sport where guys who were once great go through a gradual decline.

Usually guys absolutely fall off cliff.

 

[23rd Century Sweetheart]

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"

....yet nobody has claimed that ITT

 

[blunttruth]

It seems nearly everyone has the same opinion on this, including myself. But I don't know why I was pretty confident that Whittaker was gonna beat Kahzmat, but now I get a bad feeling he won't get past this other guy next week?

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

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.

Yeah I'm not sure how much the DDP fight was down to Dricus' skills or Rob's decline, probably a bit of both. I've never seen Whittaker kept on his back like that, maybe DDP's top control really is elite though.

 

[TerraRayzing]

Yeah I'm not sure how much the DDP fight was down to Dricus' skills or Rob's decline, probably a bit of both. I've never seen Whittaker kept on his back like that, maybe DDP's top control really is elite though.

Tbh, aside from DDP, who has Whittaker fought that has really good ground control?
Romero didn't hold people down, IIRC.