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Robert Whittaker: ‘I definitely have a few more in me now’ thanks to light heavyweight move

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Robert Whittaker: ‘I definitely have a few more in me now’ thanks to light heavyweight move

Robert Whittaker embarks on a new journey at UFC 329.

The former UFC middleweight champion makes his long-anticipated jump up to light heavyweight this Saturday when he takes on veteran Nikita Krylov at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Whittaker has spent the past 12 years competing at 185 pounds (and at welterweight before that), and so far he is thrilled with how much a less stressful weight cut has changed his life.

“The middleweight Rob Whittaker chapter has closed,†Whittaker said at UFC 329 media day on Wednesday. “I'm very happy as a light heavyweight. It is honestly life-changing. I recommend it to anybody. … I still do have to cut weight, it's just not as brutal. It's not as bad.

“I was able to fuel myself much more during the camp. Recovery was much higher. My moods were better. Everything was just better for it.â€

Whittaker has remained a top 10 contender at middleweight in recent years, but has struggled to find consistency in the cage. The 35-year-old is currently on a rare two-fight losing streak, with a split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder and a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev.

As painful as those defeats were, it was the discouraging processes leading up to those fights that convinced Whittaker he had to make a dramatic change.

“A big prompt into why I made so many changes is that I didn't enjoy the last couple of camps and the last couple of fights and things had to change otherwise I wasn't going to continue,†Whittaker said. “So I made the changes. I moved to light heavyweight. I did the backend of my camp at City Kickboxing, just for the bodies and stuff. I brought my entire tribe with me to the fight itself and it really is life-changing for me. I'm enjoying the journey.

“Normally by this period I'm hungry, I'm water loading, I'm just longing to go home, I'm missing my wife and kids. I guess I was just counting down the days until it's over, where I feel fighting requires such a higher degree of focus and attention that you can't be looking past it. So to want to just go home is kind of splitting my attention, so I'm in a really good place right now.â€

Even better news for Whittaker and his fans, he believes the move to light heavyweight should prolong his career.

“Let's be honest, I don't want to be fighting for another five years by any means, I've got other things I want to do,†Whittaker said. “I want to play Masters soccer, things like that. But I definitely have a few more in me now because the way I was feeling after the last couple of fights, the camps, how drained I was for them, how much of a grind it was, dragging my feet to get to everything. Comparatively, I definitely have a new love and lease on the game.â€

Whittaker was not given a layup for his first light heavyweight fight. Krylov is 9-7 competing in the UFC at 205 pounds and is coming off of a knockout of Modestas Bukauskas this past January. He also holds wins over two-time title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir, and Johnny Walker.

Regardless of Saturday's result, Whittaker plans to stick it out in a new division, especially with some of his former foes having also made the move already.

“I don't need validation,†Whittaker said. “I know this is my weight division. I'm never going back to middleweight. That fella is gone, let alone we have Chimaev, we have [Reinier] de Ridder, we have [Paulo] Costa, they're all light heavyweights now. So I've already danced with some of them.â€

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GRAPHIC | Dillon Danis shares nasty aftermath of injury that forced Mike Perry fight withdrawal

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GRAPHIC | Dillon Danis shares nasty aftermath of injury that forced Mike Perry fight withdrawal

Polarizing combat sports star Dillon Danis' arm injury which forced him out of his scheduled Mike Perry clash was gruesome.

Dillon Danis and Bare Knuckle FC superstar Mike Perry were supposed to clash in the inaugural Duel Arena MMA main event last month in Florida. But just hours before the event, Danis withdrew from the fight due to an arm injury suffered during his final preparations.

Despite his brash nature, Danis seemed genuinely heartbroken at having to pull out of his clash with Perry in his MMA return. Perry went on to lose to short-notice replacement Brandon Jenkins in the Duel Arena 1 main event due to injury.

Danis shared initial footage of his injury showing a graphic laceration on his arm during Duel Arena 1 fight week. As Danis prepares for his potential combat sports return, he shared additional footage that showed the severity of the ailment.

Dillon Danis shares graphic footage of arm injury suffered ahead of Mike Perry fight

In a recent tweet, Danis shared the aftermath of his gruesome arm injury. You can watch the video he posted here.

Danis hasn't fought in Mixed Martial arts since submitting Warren Spencer in 15 seconds at Misfits 22 last year. He won the inaugural Misfits MMA light heavyweight championship after six years away from the cage.

In addition to his MMA aspirations, Danis remains a top name on the Real American Freestyle mats and will face off with Arman Tsarukyan next month. Danis lost back-to-back wrestling matches against Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year.

As of this writing, it's uncertain how long Danis will need to recover from his arm injury, but he's expected to miss the rest of 2026. When he's ready to return to action, expect Danis to be a name to watch in 2027.

Would you want to see a Dillon Danis vs. Mike Perry MMA rebooking? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Salahdine Parnasse uncertain Max Holloway will accept fight after his UFC Paris win: 'I’m ready for anyone'

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Salahdine Parnasse uncertain Max Holloway will accept fight after his UFC Paris win: 'I’m ready for anyone'

Salahdine Parnasse isn't sure Max Holloway will accept his callout.

Parnasse is coming off his UFC debut, as he headlined UFC Paris on Saturday and scored a first-round TKO win over Dan Hooker. It was a great performance, and after the win, he called out Holloway but isn't sure if he will accept it, as he knows he poses a lot of problems for the Hawaiian.

“I really, really think I'm ready. I've been training for a long time, since I was 11 years old, for this. I'm very ready for that. In KSW, I had three fights before fighting for the belt, against very big names in KSW. I had great fights. In the UFC, I don't know what's going to happen, but I called out Max Holloway. I really hope he's going to accept,†Parnasse said to Ariel Helwani.

Parnasse vs. Holloway does make a lot of sense, as the winner could get a title shot. Yet, whether or not the Hawaiian would take on Parnasse, who isn't as well-known as other contenders.

Salahdine Parnasse open to fighting whoever after UFC Paris

Although Parnasse called out Holloway after his win, he said he's open to anything.

Parnasse knows some top contenders may not want to fight him, so he's willing to face whoever to prove how good he is.

“Look at my face. It's clean. Tomorrow, I'm ready,†Parnasse added. “Max Holloway would be the perfect fight. He likes challenges, and I think we could have a very good war together. I have a lot of respect for Max, and I don't like trash talk — that's not my personality. I'm ready for anyone in the top five.â€

Parnasse is 24-2 as a pro and coming off the win over Hooker. He's the former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion.

Would you like to see Salahdine Parnasse vs. Max Holloway after UFC Paris?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Jean Silva tells heartwarming origin of 'barking' at UFC opponents

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Jean Silva tells heartwarming origin of 'barking' at UFC opponents

UFC featherweight contender Jean Silva's ‘barks' at his rivals are a calculated nod to a significant part of his childhood.

Jean Silva will headline Noche UFC 4 this weekend in Glendale against surging contender Jose Delgado. After Silva was originally supposed to fight Yair Rodriguez in the Noche UFC 4 main event, Delgado will step up for the biggest fight of his career.

Silva has quickly become one of the biggest fan favorites in the UFC's featherweight division after recent wins over Arnold Allen, Bryce Mitchell, and Drew Dober. A win over Delgado this weekend could put Silva back into a No. 1 contender bout.

Ahead of most of his fights, Silva is known to bark in pre-fight faceoffs with his opponents. It's seen as an intimidation tactic to most fans and pundits, but to Silva, there's a long backstory behind it.

Jean Silva's signature ‘barking' a nod to his childhood dog

In a recent interview with Spinnin Backfist, Silva was asked about the backstory behind his signature intimidation tactic.

“It goes back to school. Back in the school days, I would've considered myself a loner back then, not having many friends to walk around with. I had a Dog, a Rottweiler that was from my brother,†Silva said.

“It was a really good friend to me, and who hasn't barked at a dog? That just became a thing for me, and I have a great relationship with the dog. I barked, and it was very instinctive.

“People thought it was weird, and I thought it was too, but you know what?†Silva continued. “Good memories from back then; it was a great time and a good memory that I had.â€

Silva will likely bark at Delgado this week ahead of Noche UFC 4. His homage to his childhood friend shows that fighters are more than what we see inside the cage.

What is your prediction for Jean Silva vs. Jose Delgado? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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