Robert Whittaker is moving up to 205 pounds, with the former UFC middleweight champion set to face Nikita Krylov in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 329.
The bout is booked as the featured preliminary matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, marking Whittaker’s first appearance at light heavyweight after a long run at 185 pounds and recent struggles with the cut.
Whittaker says the change has transformed how he feels heading into this stage of his career. "This is the best I think I've felt for my career holistically," he said, adding that the new division suits him far better. "This is a much more natural weight for me. The last couple of camps I just have not enjoyed because of the amount of sacrifice and skipping of food that I've had to do. Especially the last four-five weeks when I'd really have to try and get my weight down to get into weight cut range for middleweight. It was just too much, and I think it started affecting me in the fight themselves. Like I said, this is a bit of the end period of my career, I want to enjoy the process a little bit more, I want to enjoy the training. I want to feel good."
Now 35 and walking around at approximately 220–225 pounds, Whittaker emphasized that the move is a full commitment to the new weight class. "I'm not going to light heavyweight as an out of shape middleweight. I'm not just a middleweight who can eat more now. I've been doing the right things, I've leaned up, I'm in a much more natural weight range for myself. I'm still walking around 220-225 pretty lean because I'm just heavy."
