He might not be the champion, but Robert Whittaker believes he is the best middleweight fighter in the world.
This man is dangerous.
After Whittaker’s big win over Marvin Vettori earlier this month at UFC France, he claimed he is the most dangerous man in the 185 lb division.
“I’m the most dangerous man in this division, including the champion. I make people hate fighting. I take the love out of it for them,” Whittaker told Michael Bisping in the cage. “As for who is next, I’m always gunning for that top spot. I’m going to be lurking there waiting.”
And while it is easy to brush Whittaker off by pointing to his lack of title or his two losses to Israel Adesanya, he has a point.
Best middleweight in the UFC
Last week former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith said he believes Whittaker is the best middleweight in the UFC with his skill set. He says Adesanya is a terrible match-up for him, unfortunately.
On Thursday, Whittaker heard what Smith said on MMA on SiriusXM and agreed with him. (Of course)
"[Anthony] Smith said it best…Izzy's a terrible matchup for me and I hate that fight…but I do truly believe I'm the best middleweight in the world."
Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) responds to @lionheartasmith's assessment of the MW division. @RJcliffordMMA @DinThomas pic.twitter.com/dMQOoSlcyx
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) September 15, 2022
“I 100% agree with that. And let me just say thank you, Anthony Smith, because that’s a big prop. I really, really appreciate that. But definitely, I 100% wholeheartedly agree with that,” Whittaker said. “That’s why I mentioned it a lot of times, on the microphone. I’m the most dangerous middleweight in the world for that reason.
Smith said it the best, Izzy is a terrible matchup for me, and I hate that fight. It is an annoying, super annoying fight to go through, but yeah, I do truly believe I’m the best middleweight in the world.”
Stuck
Whittaker is in a challenging position at the moment. A third fight with Adesanya isn’t close, and he can’t go back to welterweight, where he started his career. So the 31-year-old is stuck knocking off potential title challengers until the UFC sees fit to give him another title shot. TOUGH.
