Robert Whittaker could do without the political side of MMA matchmaking.
It took some time for Whittaker to find his footing in the UFC, first winning The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes as a welterweight and then seeing mixed results before making a permanent move up to 185 pounds. Once there, Whittaker’s ascent was more straightforward as he won eight straight fights and became the undisputed middleweight champion.
Whittaker lost the title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 and now finds himself with an unclear path to a rematch. A win over fellow contender Jared Cannonier seemed to make Whittaker’s case for him, but by his own admission he is aiming not to compete again until next year and that opened the door for the UFC to match Adesanya up with light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.