Robert Whittaker Discusses If He’d Do the “2–3 Years Dagestan and Forget” Route
Recently, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker stated that if he had been younger, he might have visited Dagestan to train.
Whittaker is currently 35 years old, and his recent form may indicate to fans that he is past his prime. Given the abundance of young, promising fighters in the middleweight division, Whittaker probably has a few more years remaining in his UFC career.
‘The Reaper’ has lost in his last two UFC outings. In 2024 at UFC 308, when Khamzat Chimaev submitted him in Round 1 with a rare naked choke-cum-face crank, Whittaker suffered a dental injury due to the choke, which needed medical attention.
After dental surgery and resuming training, he made his return in 2025 against Reinier de Ridder. Despite putting on a standout performance, the Australian fighter lost by split decision to ‘RDR.’
Robert Whittaker discusses whether he would choose to go to Dagestan to train
Robert Whittaker recently admitted to That MMA Girl that he would have gone to Dagestan to train if he were younger. The majority of MMA fans are familiar with the Dagestani’s rigorous training regimen. Among the most famous fighters from the region are Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar, Khabib, and Islam Makhachev.
Whittaker praised Dagestani athletes for their dedication to the art of mixed martial arts, saying:
“There’s balance, that’s what makes them exceptional. That’s what makes them special, because they have that single-focus dedication to the craft. Got to give it to them for that.”
When asked if he would go to ‘Dagestan for 2-3 years and forget,’ he said:
“Not now. Maybe when I was younger.”
Check out Robert Whittaker’s comments below:
In the same interview, ‘The Reaper’ also added that he and Israel Adesanya have squashed their competitive rivalry long back, and now he’s happy to “break bread” with ‘The Last Stylebender’ and go to dinner with the latter whenever he’s around.
“I’m really cool with Izzy. Someone said before we hashed things out that we probably have a lot more in common than we think and would probably be friends in another life. Here I’m happy to break bread with him and go to dinner with him when he’s around.”
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