Robert Whittaker is officially a black belt in jiu-jitsu.
The former UFC middleweight champion recently shared the news of his milestone on social media after earning the accolade from his coach Alex Prates.
“Honoured to be handed my black belt from my coach and friend @alexprates07 . Started Gi 16 years ago and I’m stoked to have hit this milestone in my career. Lookout world. If you’re in so much as a long sleeve shirt. Danger. 🥋🚑🦽 🤣”
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Whittaker Caps Off A Solid Year
Of course, Whittaker is known more for his striking skills but he has shown to be a very high level grappler as well — even if his last submission win came before his UFC days when he submitted Corey Nelson back in 2011.
Regardless, it’s a great way to cap off what has been a solid year for “The Reaper” overall.
Whittaker bounced back from his knockout defeat to Israel Adesanya last year by outpointing Darren Till in July. The Aussie then made it two wins in a row after doing the same to Jared Cannonier at UFC 254 in October.
It appeared he was in line to challenge Adesanya in a rematch early next year but those plans took a twist when UFC president Dana White gave the middleweight king the green light to move up and challenge Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight crown.
Instead, the reported plan now is for Whittaker to face Paulo Costa in March for a potential interim middleweight title. Even if there is no title involved, a win for Whittaker there would put no doubt about who Adesanya’s next challenger is.
