Robert Whittaker made a successful move to light heavyweight on Saturday, stopping Nikita Krylov by third-round TKO at UFC 329.
The bout, which closed out the prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, marked Whittaker’s first UFC appearance at 205 pounds after a long run at middleweight that included a stint as champion. The victory also snapped a two-fight skid he brought with him from the lower division.
Post-fight, Whittaker made it clear how much the result meant to him. "Everything that could go right did go right. I can't express to you how good I feel," he said.
He also acknowledged the doubts surrounding his move up. "There was a lot of nerves going into this. Who hasn't seen the story of a middleweight after two losses moving up to light heavyweight and then sliding into oblivion? I didn't want to be that guy."
Looking ahead, Whittaker sounded eager for more. "I wanted someone ranked out of the gate. A lot of questions have been answered. I feel like there was a lot of doubters out there. There were a lot of people that had questions, a lot of people who wanted to see what the transition looked like, me going up. I think I silenced those guys and put my case forward."
"… Winning opens doors, and I have won, and the doors are open," Whittaker added, hinting at a return later this year as he aims to "keep moving up the ladder, keep progressing."
