“I am here for it,” Robert Whittaker expresses eagerness to challenge Kamaru Usman in middleweight division

Kamaru Usman has caught the curiosity of former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who has stated his desire to face Usman.

“I am here for it,” Robert Whittaker expresses eagerness to challenge Kamaru Usman in middleweight division

Robert whittaker is interested in fighting Kamaru Usman ( Image via Imago )

Kamaru Usman finds himself at a crossroads in his fighting career. The former welterweight champion has now incurred 3 losses in a row. His last fight was against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Now he is pondering on whether to stay in the middleweight division or go back to the welterweight division.

Prior to his clash with Chimaev, Usman had expressed a willingness to explore the middleweight division. Most recently, Robert Whittaker showed interest in fighting Kamaru Usman in the welterweight division. He said on his MMA Arcade Podcast: 

Is he gonna stay at middleweight?…That fight interests me,…I’d fight a middleweight Usman. I don’t think it’s a bad fight to have…Makes things interesting and exciting. I am here for it...hope he (Usman) stays…
Robert Whittaker on MMA Arcade
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Whittaker firmly believes it’s a worthy contest for someone of Usman’s stature, who has held the welterweight title for an extended period. He also emphasized the need for Usman to be given a chance at the top of the middleweight ranks without having to prove himself in lower-tier matches. Whittaker further emphasized the excitement of having fresh talent competing at the upper echelons of the sport. He pointed to recent matches, like Chimaev and Strickland, as examples of the dynamic shifts in the division.

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Interestingly, Whittaker shares a somewhat similar position with Usman. Both fighters are looking to rebound from recent setbacks. Whittaker had his title hopes dashed by a second-round TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis. However, Du Plessis backed out of challenging then-champion Israel Adesanya due to injury. This unusual turn of events led to Sean Strickland, an unexpected top-five contender, claiming the title in his first-ever title fight in the UFC.

Kamaru Usman reflects on his string of consecutive losses after UFC 294

After an extensive period of remaining undefeated, Kamaru Usman has entered a losing phase in his career. Up till now, Usman has lost three fights in a row. Usman took the fight against Chimaev on 10 days’ notice and lost the fight via decision.

Kamaru Usman Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 ( Image via Imago )

Reflecting on the fight’s outcome, Usman contemplated how things might have turned out differently if he had the benefit of a full training camp. He said: 

I think coming off the couch in 10 days and fighting a young, hungry bull like that,…I didn’t trust my shape. I’m a championship fighter,…I say give me a couple extra rounds, I think the world knows what that result might be.


He also expressed the discontentment and mental stress of facing back-to-back losses after such a long streak of wins. The loss against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 has prompted him to reevaluate and refocus on his future challenges in the octagon.

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