‘A lot of pressure’: Aussie legend’s admission after ‘nervous’ move

Australian UFC legend Robert Whittaker has his heart set on competing in Sydney next year – but don’t call it a swansong just yet.

Whittaker knows he has less time inside the octagon ahead of him than he does behind him, but is adamant a move to the light-heavyweight division has “re-lit the fire” inside him and could prolong his UFC career.

Fresh off a knockout win over Nikita Krylov in mid-July, the 35-year-old has turned his attention to competing at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena (formerly Qudos Bank Arena) in February.

Leaving the middleweight division, where he held the championship many years ago, has sparked Whittaker and left the “stagnant” feeling in the rear-view mirror.

Whittaker had previously hinted that he would like to bow out on home soil, but after the jump to the 205-pound weight class and renewed confidence from the win over Krylov, the journey doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.

“It’s definitely re-lit that fire inside me,” he told nine.com.au on Thursday.

“I was kind of stale and stagnant and I wasn’t feeling it at middleweight, which is why it led to a lot of my comments [about retirement] ... but I’m definitely enjoying the lifestyle difference of competing and training at light-heavyweight.

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“Obviously this next fight will be at home and I know I’m not gonna be fighting forever. I’m at the tail-end of my career, but I think I’ve still go some more in me.

“I’m doing everything in my power to be on that card and won’t be lining myself up for anything else. I’ll keep training hard, training smart and make sure I’m there.”

Whittaker (27-9) didn’t name-drop an opponent for the Sydney card, but did say he wants to fight somebody ahead of him in the UFC rankings.

The win over Krylov, who was seen as a dangerous opponent and somewhat of a risk for Whittaker in his light-heavyweight debut, has helped the Aussie star regain confidence after back-to-back losses in 2024 and 2025.

However, the Auckland-born fighter admitted the step-up in size and weight, combined with uncertainty from certain parts of the MMA community, made it a difficult situation to navigate from a mental perspective.

“There were definitely a lot of nerves,” Whittaker said.

“I can’t express the confidence I took from that win, because the nerves going up a weight division with the bigger boys and all the talk around me being too small and coming off some losses ... there was a lot of pressure around me.

“The lifestyle at light-heavyweight is much more natural for me, I’m not having to kill myself at training sessions and cut down at middleweight.

“That fight highlighted how high my skill level is and what I can do.”

Whittaker now sits in a division alongside New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg, who is the current champion, as well as another Kiwi star in Navajo Stirling.

He believes the sky is the limit for Stirling, who has an undefeated 11-0 record.

“It’s hard to see where the ceiling is for him,” Whittaker said.

“I’ve never met a guy that shows as much dedication and focus to his craft than him. He ticks all the boxes and I can’t wait to see where it ends.”