Robert Whittaker

Whittaker repeatedly found the jab and right hand as Krylov slowed. A final right hand injured Krylov's jaw, and the bout was stopped when he turned away at 1:01 of round three.

Key moments

• Whittaker repeatedly found the jab and right hand.
• Krylov slowed as the fight moved into the third round.
• A final right hand injured Krylov's jaw and forced the stoppage at 1:01.

Chimaev took Whittaker down early and locked up a rare face crank for a first-round finish, dominating the grappling from the outset.

Key moments

• Chimaev secured an early takedown.
• Sustained top control and pressure.
• A rare face-crank forced the tap.
• First-round finish at 3:34.

Whittaker delivered a dominant performance at UFC Paris, repeatedly uncorking head kicks that wobbled Vettori, mixing in sharp counter jabs, body kicks and knees across all three rounds to earn a comfortable unanimous decision. Vettori's face wore heavy damage by the final bell.

Key moments

• Multiple head kicks landed cleanly and visibly rocked Vettori.
• Sharp counter jab and front kick to the body controlled the range.
• Shut down Vettori's clinch-and-wrestle game consistently.
• A dominant, clean sweep across all three rounds.

Whittaker pushed hard for a grappling-based answer in the rematch at Houston, landing takedowns in the later rounds, but Adesanya's speed, leg-kick pressure and precise counters were too consistent over five rounds as the champion retained his title by unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Adesanya dropped Whittaker with a strike in the first round.
• Whittaker worked takedowns in rounds four and five in a smart tactical shift.
• Adesanya's speed was a constant problem throughout the fight.
• Scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 reflected Adesanya's control.

The win positioned him as the clear number-one middleweight contender.

Key moments

• A big head kick buckled Gastelum in the opening round.
• All three judges scored the fight 50-45 — a total sweep.
• Whittaker neutralised Gastelum's counters with speed and footwork.
• Positioned him as the clear number-one contender for Adesanya's title.

In a back-and-forth co-main event on Fight Island, Whittaker outworked Cannonier over three rounds, nearly stopping him late after dropping Cannonier with a combination in the third — a right hand into a flush kick to the face — before swarming with ground-and-pound to take a 29-28 sweep.

Key moments

• Cannonier's thunderous low kicks were a threat early.
• Whittaker's jab shut down Cannonier's eye by the second round.
• A right-hand-into-head-kick combination floored Cannonier in round three.
• Whittaker nearly finished the fight, passing guard to threaten a choke before the bell.

Whittaker recovered from a first-round knockdown — an elbow in an inside exchange — to outwork Till across five rounds on Fight Island, using low kicks and takedowns to build a clear lead and win 48-47 on all three cards.

Key moments

• Till landed an elbow in a clinch clash that put Whittaker on the canvas in round one.
• Whittaker responded in round two with a big right hand that stopped Till in his tracks.
• Low-kick volume and takedowns built a steady lead through the later rounds.
• A five-round unanimous decision win despite the early adversity.

One of the most violent title fights in UFC history, Whittaker retained his middleweight belt despite surviving two devastating knockdowns in the championship rounds — a thunderous left hook in round five nearly finished him before he survived and fought back to win by split decision. Round three alone is widely regarded as a candidate for round of the year.

Key moments

• Romero missed weight, making the bout a non-title fight officially — though Whittaker retained the belt as champion.
• Whittaker was knocked down in round three and again in round five by Romero's extraordinary power.
• He survived both knockdowns and recovered to take the split decision, showing championship heart.
• Round three — featuring multiple downs and big shots from both men — was widely nominated round of the year.

Whittaker claimed the interim UFC middleweight title with a five-round unanimous decision over the powerfully dangerous Yoel Romero, neutralising Romero's grappling with strong takedown defence and wearing him down with body work and combinations across the championship rounds.

Key moments

• The fight was elevated to the main event after Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko was cancelled.
• Romero battered Whittaker's left leg with low kicks in the early rounds.
• Strong takedown defence forced Romero to brawl on the feet, where Whittaker held the edge.

Whittaker produced a shocking upset, becoming the first fighter to stop Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza since 2008. A massive right hand dropped Souza early in round two, followed by head kicks and a hook that sent him to the canvas before short elbows forced the stoppage. Whittaker earned his third Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• First fighter to finish Souza since 2008 — a major upset.
• A big right hand dropped Souza early in round two.
• Follow-up head kicks and a left hook sent Souza back to the canvas.
• Third Performance of the Night bonus for Whittaker.

The hometown hero produced a rapid statement finish in Melbourne, dropping Brunson with a counter left hook before a partially blocked high kick stunned him again and a swarming follow-up punches forced the first-round stoppage. The fight earned Fight of the Night honours.

Key moments

• Main event in Melbourne — Whittaker headlining in Australia for the first time.
• A counter left hook took Brunson's legs before the finishing sequence.
• A head kick stunned Brunson a second time, with follow-up punches completing the stoppage.
• Fight of the Night bonus.

A gritty back-and-forth fight that Whittaker won despite suffering leg damage from Natal's kicks — he landed sharp combinations and a head kick knockdown to put an exclamation mark on the third round and take a unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

Key moments

• Natal targeted Whittaker's lead leg consistently throughout the fight.
• Whittaker complained of a potentially broken hand between rounds yet stayed effective.
• A head kick knockdown late in round three sealed the unanimous decision.

Whittaker beat a flashy, dangerous Hall before the huge Melbourne crowd at Etihad Stadium, winning a wild kickboxing match with speed, well-timed forward pressure and grappling exchanges that broke in his favour. He edged the card 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Key moments

• Hall stepped up on short notice, replacing the injured Michael Bisping.
• A wild kickboxing exchange throughout — both men landed hard.
• Whittaker's takedown-defence advantage in two grappling exchanges swung the scoring.
• Low kicks and explosive forward blitzes proved decisive in the scoring.

Whittaker needed only 44 seconds to finish Brad Tavares in Adelaide, landing a short left hook that put Tavares down, then following to the mat with accurate punches to earn a KO stoppage and his first Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• A short left hook dropped Tavares for the first time in the exchange.
• Tavares rose but was dropped a second time by another left hook before the finish.
• First Performance of the Night bonus for Whittaker.

A wild two-round fight in Sydney that Whittaker controlled with sharp technical kickboxing, dropping Hester in round one and finishing him with a knee in the clinch in round two. The win earned Fight of the Night honours.

Key moments

• Both men landed significant shots in a scrappy first round.
• Whittaker dropped Hester with a counter strike and controlled top position to end round one.
• After a failed Hester takedown in round two, Whittaker pushed him into the cage and finished with a knee.
• Fight of the Night bonus in Sydney.

A competitive welterweight bout in Auckland that Whittaker won on the cards after both men had their moments — Whittaker rocked Rhodes late in round one, survived a round-two takedown and secured his own takedown in the final minute of the fight to tip the unanimous decision in his favour.

Key moments

• Rhodes landed his right hand twice in the early going but was rocked by Whittaker late in round one.
• Rhodes got a takedown in round two but Whittaker worked back to his feet quickly.
• A late takedown in round three cemented the verdict on all three cards.
• Third UFC appearance, still competing at welterweight before the move to middleweight.

Thompson's karate-based movement and range control gave Whittaker no clean entry throughout the opening round, with Wonderboy bloodying his nose and finishing the fight at 3:43 when a big right hand dropped Whittaker and a follow-up flurry brought the stoppage.

Key moments

• Thompson's perimeter of axe kicks, hook kicks and straight punches controlled range throughout.
• A big right hand dropped Whittaker; the referee stopped the follow-up flurry.
• One of two losses that shaped Whittaker's decision to move to middleweight.

A razor-close welterweight bout in Indianapolis that Whittaker was competitive in throughout — he briefly dropped McGee with a stiff hook in round one — but McGee's relentless volume and forward pressure swung the third round and enough of the card to earn a split decision.

Key moments

• Whittaker briefly dropped McGee with a left hook in round one.
• McGee responded by mixing punches, knees and forward pressure across all three rounds.
• The split scores — 30-27, 27-30, 29-28 — reflected a genuinely close contest.

In a battle of TUF winners, Whittaker shut down Smith's wrestling with strong takedown defence across a back-and-forth contest before landing the decisive stoppage in the opening seconds of round three with punches on the feet.

Key moments

• Matchup between two recent TUF winners — both Whittaker and Smith had won their respective seasons.
• Whittaker's takedown defence was a decisive factor across the fight.
• The third-round finish came quickly — 41 seconds in — from standing punches.

Whittaker won the TUF: The Smashes welterweight finale — and his UFC debut — with a unanimous decision over Scott in a competitive three-round fight. He controlled with head kicks, blitzing combinations and uppercuts, surviving a second-round trip that gave Scott brief ground control.

Key moments

• UFC debut and TUF: The Smashes welterweight finale.
• Whittaker became the first winner of TUF: The Smashes alongside lightweight winner Norman Parke.
• Head kicks and combination attacks were his primary scoring weapons.
• Scott's second-round trip gave him brief grappling success before Whittaker regained the feet.

Juarez's output and forward pressure over the full 25 minutes proved enough to win all three cards.

Key moments

• A CFC Welterweight Championship fight, contested over five rounds.
• Juarez's volume over a full 25-minute fight was the decisive factor.
• One of only two losses before Whittaker entered the UFC via TUF: The Smashes later that year.

He moved forward aggressively, took the back, and attempted an armbar, but ended up in a low position where Kim locked up a triangle choke for the tap. The submission was awarded Submission of the Night.

Key moments

• Fought in Macau at Legend FC, outside the Australian regional circuit for the first time.
• Attempted an armbar from a dominant position but was reversed and caught in a triangle.
• The submission was awarded Submission of the Night at the event.