Media Robert Whittaker wants Strickland for International Fight Week, considering move to LHW

[Elegant]

How do you guys think Whittaker does against the likes of Jiri, Hill, and Pereira etc?

Whittaker is one of the greatest strikers ever in MMA with elite TDD so I like his chances, he's older now but he'll still have the speed advantage AND technique advantage over these guys so I wouldn't mind it.

I can see him disposing of Strickland with ease, getting a no 1 contender fight at LHW vs someone like the winner of Khalil x Hill or Jiri while Pereira rematches Ankalaev and then getting a title shot

I think he has the style to force Ankalaev into his point fighting game where he excels while Ankalaev goes something like 0/11 for takedowns like he did vs Pereira whose TDD is no where at the level of Whittaker and ends up losing a decision, Pereira however would likely be a difficult matchup for Whittaker

 

[JustOnce]

I love Rob, but to say he's one of the greatest MMA striker is really stretching it lol

He would have zero chance at doing anything meaningful at LHW.

But I see what he's trying to do. If he loses against Strickland, I mean, guys that are calling him out, Caio or Hernandez, they are all tough fights for him.

I can see him thinking it will all be lose-lose fights, so might as well move up and try to find win-win fights.

I wouldn't care to see him against Jiri or Alex. He will try to wrestle for five rounds. He got outstruck by Darren Till, he won't do nothing on the feet against those two.

LHW is not what it used to be, but I don't see him doing anything worth of note moving up a weight class. But then again, UFC has a lot of cans for crushing in all weight classes. So I imagine they could find some cans for him to crush.

But imagine if UFC kept LHWs like Rumble, Bader, Davis, Anderson and Rob trying to move up?

 

[alchemy]

Agreed with the comment above. Rob has little to offer to the LHW division - he loses to everyone in the Top-5 in my opinion. He's too undersized as well.

He would do better in the current welterweight division though, defeating Belal Muhammad wouldn't be hard for him at all, as well as beating other guys.

 

[Travis Alexander]

I’d love to watch him fuck Strickland up for 3-5 rounds.

 

[TITS]

Bad idea. He's too small for LHW, even the smaller LHWs like Jiri or Rountree would beat him to a pulp. Him vs Reyes could be a good matchup, but I think Rob would probably just end up getting out-muscled and picked apart. He'd probably kick Cutelaba's ass though, and maybe Anthony Smith.

Strickland would probably jab his face off too. He should be calling out guys like Kevin Holland or GM3, or winner of Bo Nickel vs The Riddler. Basically bums/jobbers or guys with without striking backgrounds.

 

[DougieJones]

Please for the love of Jesus Muhammad Abraham Lincoln STOP with this "Jiri to MW" bullshit


fucking absolutely retarded idea

 

[Craig Hogg]

He's a smaller MW, he would be tiny at LHW.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

He's a smaller MW, he would be tiny at LHW.

Yeah I mean he started at WW of course and was never big for MW, he'd give a lot of pounds to guys like Jiri, Pereira etc

 

[Xoleth]

Rockhold and Weidman looked small at LHW vs Jan & Reyes
And they were not small MWs
Whit should stay at MW

 

[octagonation]

No. He should move to WW instead imho

 

[188912345]

Yeah I mean he started at WW of course and was never big for MW, he'd give a lot of pounds to guys like Jiri, Pereira etc

Whittaker was likely heavier in his last fight at MW than Jiri was at LHW.

He might struggle with the reach and strength of those guys, though.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Bad idea. He's too small for LHW, even the smaller LHWs like Jiri or Rountree would beat him to a pulp. Him vs Reyes could be a good matchup, but I think Rob would probably just end up getting out-muscled and picked apart. He'd probably kick Cutelaba's ass though, and maybe Anthony Smith.

Strickland would probably jab his face off too. He should be calling out guys like Kevin Holland or GM3, or winner of Bo Nickel vs The Riddler. Basically bums/jobbers or guys with without striking backgrounds.

Those guys are waaaaaaaaay to far down the card for Whittaker to be fighting.

 

[usernamee]

I'd be afraid for any jab he might eat at LHW

Strickland fight is the fight I think a lot of us want

 

[bigfootsbreath]

Whittaker needs to move to WW if anything. Hell before he fought Izzy the first time, I thought Whittaker was bulking up too much (loss of speed). I think if he did a proper diet, he could make WW without a tough cut. Gotta cut out some of that extra bulk out. But realisitically he should just retire instead of moving divisions or sticking around at MW and getting beat up on (happens to anyone who sticks around past they prime).

 

[funksoulbrother]

Give him Johnny walker to see where he’s at up there

 

[Shaolin Alan]

After he beats Strickland, feed him LionFart

 

[chinarice]

Sean at MW is a great fight. Rob is getting his ass kicked at 205

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Not sure how good an idea it is to go up to LHW when you just got your jaw crushed by a blown up WW with long Covid at MW lol

 

[AndrewGolota48]

Rockhold and Weidman looked small at LHW vs Jan & Reyes
And they were not small MWs
Whit should stay at MW

Jacare too. The three of them combined couldn't do a damn thing at LHW, and they were all bigger MWs than Whittaker. Pereira is just about the only one I can think of that had huge success after moving from 185 to 205...but his frame and the emaciation at 185 was so over the top, he's a rare example of a fighter that can move up 20 lbs to a higher class and still somehow be big there.

Rob's specialty is also not being a pure striker, but a grappler killer a la Chuck Lidell. Pure strikers are tough tasks for him, although he's better than most at LHW on paper, but the power difference would almost certainly make up for it. Rountree or Coleman would be cool fights if he wanted to do a one off at LHW.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Jacare too. The three of them combined couldn't do a damn thing at LHW, and they were all bigger MWs than Whittaker. Pereira is just about the only one I can think of that had huge success after moving from 185 to 205...but his frame and the emaciation at 185 was so over the top, he's a rare example of a fighter that can move up 20 lbs to a higher class and still somehow be big there.

Rob's specialty is also not being a pure striker, but a grappler killer a la Chuck Lidell. Pure strikers are tough tasks for him, although he's better than most at LHW on paper, but the power difference would almost certainly make up for it. Rountree or Coleman would be cool fights if he wanted to do a one off at LHW.

That's because all those guys were washed up when they went to 205. Whittaker is not washed up.