Robert Whittaker indicates a duel against Marvin Vettori in June and does not rule out moving up to light heavyweight

R. Whittaker indicated that M. Vettori will be his next opponent (Photo: Montage/SUPER FIGHTS)

Less than a month after losing the rematch against Israel adesanya, valid for the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg), the former champion Robert whittaker is already in the final stages of negotiations for his return to the octagon. The Australian is expected to return to action against Marvin vettori, in June.

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During his appearance on the podcast “MMA Hour”, on the North American website “MMA Fighting”, Robert Whitaker stated that he should return to the Octagon sooner than expected.

“There may be something forwarded. I can have a defined name and location. I'm coming back faster than I usually do. It wasn't part of the plan, but I was offered an opportunity and, honestly, I have no injuries from the last fight. The date fits. I want to finish this year with three fights, so having a potential fight in June is good for me,” explained Whittaker.

Despite not mentioning names, the former champion made it clear that his next opponent should be Marvin vettori, third place in the middleweight rankings. The Italian is the only member of the division's top 5 that Whittaker has never faced.

“If we're breaking this down, if we're throwing ideas around, in the top 5 there's only one guy I haven't faced yet. Right? So his name is the only one left to pull out of the hat,” Whittaker pointed out.

Lastly, Robert whittaker talked about the possibility of changing divisions in the future. The former middleweight champion highlighted that he feels good in his current category, ruled out a return to welterweight (up to 77 kg), but left the door open for a possible move up to light heavyweight (up to 93 kg).

“I've already thought about it, because moving up a division is definitely the only option, not going down. But I feel very good at middleweight. I've been cutting my weight well. My strength and cardio are at the right point. I feel like I would lose some of that if I went to 93 kg. I don’t know, I’m going to try to build my way to another title fight here at middleweight and then I’ll think about the idea”, he concluded.