Robert Whittaker wants a top light heavyweight opponent. Robert Whittaker wasn’t looking for an easy fight in his new home at light heavyweight, and Jan Błachowicz was quick to volunteer
After successfully making the move to 205 pounds, the former UFC middleweight champion revealed that he wanted another big name for his next fight. Whittaker mentioned several potential opponents, including Magomed Ankalaev, Jan Błachowicz and Bogdan Guskov.
Whittaker made his light heavyweight debut at UFC 329 in July, where he stopped Nikita Krylov in the third round. The victory immediately moved him into the 205-pound rankings and opened the door for a fresh chapter in his UFC career. Speaking on the Believe You Me podcast, Whittaker admitted that he would be interested in fighting Ankalaev and said he would have liked to face Błachowicz before the Polish veteran’s recent loss. He also mentioned Guskov as another appealing option.
“I’d love to get in there with Ank [Magomed Ankalaev],” Whittaker told the Believe You Me podcast. “I’d love to get in there with — well, Jan [Blachowicz] just had a loss, but I would have loved to jump in there with him. Bogdan would have been great. Anyone up. People keep throwing the name Costa out there, but I fought him before. There’s a lot of other guys to fight as well.”
However, Whittaker ruled out two names which are Carlos Ulberg and Navajo Stirling because they are his training partners. He explained that he did not want to fight the fighters he trains with unless they eventually reached the very top of the division and there were no other options.
“I won’t fight the boys that I train with,” Whittaker said. “If we reach a point where we’re one, two, and three with me, Carlos, and Nav, then I’m sure we can all sit down and find a way to get paid bank, but there’s a lot of people to fight. And I’ve still got some work to do for myself in the rankings. I’m enjoying the progression. I’m enjoying coming up and going through the rankings again. It feels like a new chapter because of that.”
That comment didn’t go unnoticed by Błachowicz. The former light heavyweight champion responded directly on social media, tagging Whittaker and writing “Hey Robert Whittaker! Let’s turn your words into action.” The callout came just days after Błachowicz suffered a first-round knockout loss to Stirling at UFC Belgrade. Despite the setback, the 43-year-old veteran appeared ready to get straight back into the Octagon against one of the division’s biggest new arrivals.
Whittaker is yet to respond to Błachowicz’s challenge, leaving the potential matchup hanging in the air. For now, nothing has been booked. But with Whittaker searching for a top-level opponent and Błachowicz openly volunteering for the fight, the ingredients for an intriguing light heavyweight clash are already there.
