Robert Whittaker is back, and back in a big way.
In his first fight at 205 pounds, the former UFC champion silenced his doubters and made a statement as he scored a third-round TKO victory over Nikita Krylov in the featured prelim on the UFC 329 card.
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It was the first time Whittaker had fought on the prelims since he defeated Colton Smith by TKO at UFC 160, and it was a similar result for the Australian this time around.
Whittaker spoke earlier in the week about how the move to light heavyweight had been “life-changing” and it showed in the octagon, with the 35-year-old pulling Krylov apart the longer the fight went on.
Eventually, it was a massive right hook that ended the fight with Whittaker appearing to break Krylov’s jaw in the process.
“Feast your eyes on that Reddit. Too small for light heavy? C’mon. Get some of that into ya,” Whittaker said post-fight.
“Honestly, there were a lot of nerves riding on it. Everybody has seen guys move up and slide down off back-to-back losses. But Bobby’s still got it by the looks of things.”
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Whittaker opened the first round with a nice left hand that caught a rushing Krylov, who looked intent on getting the fight to the ground.
The Australian was alert to the takedown attempts though, so Krylov largely had to settle for holding Whittaker up against the fence before eventually getting him to the ground and briefly working for the choke.
Krylov had a few brief moments on the ground but otherwise it was a strong round for Whittaker, who started to get through once the fight went back to the feet.
Whittaker landed a few strong right hands late in the round, while mixing in some slick jabs as Krylov fired back with a few nice low kicks.
But all in all, it was the Australian who was looking more comfortable and confident the longer the fight wore on and the more the two had to engage in striking exchanges.
“You see the difference… he is just so much quicker,” Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier noted of Whittaker’s movement.
Whittaker only stepped up his striking in the second and third rounds, hurting Krylov on a number of occasions before a pair of brutal right hands brought an end to the fight.
“That’s nasty,” Cormier said.
Sunday’s fight was Whittaker’s first at light heavyweight and won’t be his last, with the Australian confirming earlier in the week that the “chapter has closed” on his middleweight career.
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“I’m very happy as a light heavyweight. It is honestly life-changing,” he said.
Whittaker first debuted in the welterweight division before making the jump to middleweight, where he became Australia’s first-ever UFC champion and spent most of his career as a top-10 contender before losing his last two fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder.
That saw Whittaker fall down the middleweight rankings and cast doubt over his future in the promotion, with the Australian previously admitting he only has a few more fights left in him.
However, speaking to foxsports.com.au earlier this week, Whittaker revealed he could extend his career even longer after moving up weight classes.
“I’m going to retire in Australia,” Whittaker said when asked about his fighting future.
“I’m going to set things up so that I can finish where I started … on home soil.
“Right now, I’m going fight by fight. For me, it’s all about enjoying the journey and this week I’m absolutely doing that.
“Although let’s be honest, I don’t want to be fighting for another five years. There are other things I want to do.
“But I definitely have a few more in me now. I have a new love of the game.”