​Robert Whittaker begins a fresh chapter at UFC 329 as he moves up to light heavyweight to face veteran Nikita Krylov at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former UFC middleweight champion has spent more than a decade competing at 185 pounds, with an even longer history at welterweight, and he is openly grateful for the lighter weight cut that this new division demands. At UFC 329 media day on Wednesday, Whittaker declared, “The middleweight Rob Whittaker chapter has closed. 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.”
In recent years, Whittaker stayed among the top 10 contenders at middleweight, but he has battled inconsistency inside the cage. Now 35, he arrives at a crossroads that has included a rare two-fight losing skid—a split decision defeat to Reinier de Ridder followed by a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev. While those losses stung, the more discouraging elements were the rigors surrounding those camps and fights, which ultimately propelled him toward a dramatic shift.
“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 explained. “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.”
Whittaker’s decision to move up a weight class is not just about the immediate preparation; it’s also tied to his longer-term career outlook. He believes the shift to light heavyweight could extend his competitive longevity. “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.”
Krylov, a 9-7 UFC 205-pound contender, stands as a formidable first test in this new phase for Whittaker. The move to light heavyweight comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities, and Krylov’s experience level should provide Whittaker with a meaningful gauge of where his game truly stands in a division that promises new tests and new rivalries. Whittaker’s decision to embrace this fresh path demonstrates his willingness to adapt and rethink the demands of elite competition, a mentality that could redefine the arc of his career as he steps into uncharted weight territory.