Robert Whittaker anoints Sean Strickland the "antihero" ahead of light heavyweight debut at UFC 329
Robert Whittaker put forth his assessment of Sean Strickland's unique ability ahead of his much-awaited light heavyweight debut at UFC 329.
Robert Whittaker had long been linked to a potential fight against perennial middleweight elite Sean Strickland. Nevertheless, their much-discussed possible matchup didn't materialize.
Whittaker, a former UFC middleweight (185-pound) champion, is all set to make his light heavyweight (205-pound) divisional debut.
Meanwhile, Strickland, who recently reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship, is likely to continue competing at 185 pounds and look to defend his title soon.
Whittaker now appears to have expressed his respect for Strickland, deeming the American as an antihero who's uncannily capable of beating the odds.
Robert Whittaker labels Sean Strickland as the antihero, as "The Reaper" heads into his maiden light heavyweight fight at UFC 329
Robert Whittaker is booked to make his 205-pound debut against Nikita Krylov. Their highly anticipated light heavyweight showdown will transpire on the stacked UFC 329 card in Vegas on Saturday, July 11.
During his UFC 329 media day session, Whittaker -- who notably suffered a one-sided submission defeat against Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight -- was asked about Chimaev's middleweight title loss to Sean Strickland.
For context, the then-undefeated Chimaev lost the middleweight belt via a razor-thin split decision to Strickland in May. It was later revealed that the Chechnya-born fighter endured a near-fatal weight cut, which adversely affected his performance against Strickland.
When asked about whether he feels Strickland fought the same version of Chimaev whom he fought, Whittaker stated:
"Mate, can't answer that. 'Cause anything -- I don't know why, any time anyone makes any excuses about anything, you just see those 'cope memes' popping up everywhere. It's just taking my head off."
The New Zealand-born Australian combatant proceeded to laud Strickland's seemingly rare ability to pull off upsets against apparently unbeatable fighters like Chimaev.
Incidentally, Strickland also happens to have beaten Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision back in 2023. Adesanya is a fighter who boasts a pair of victories over Whittaker.
"Izzy" was regarded as a huge favorite heading into his clash against Strickland but ended up suffering an upset defeat against "Tarzan" akin to how Chimaev did this year.
Whittaker explained, "But, honestly, I'm more in the camp now that Strickland is the antihero. Dude's got -- he's got an ability to just upset the odd makers. And, I don't know. I never fought him. But there's, obviously, something there that he does that just throws people off. And he can just beat 'em up. It's cool. It's cool to see."
Watch Robert Whittaker address the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland fight and the latter's unique ability below (*comments at the 7:45-minute mark of the video):
Robert Whittaker recently found himself on the receiving end of Sean Strickland's verbal warfare
On one hand, Robert Whittaker is on the cusp of possibly making a mark in a new division, as he looks to get past Nikita Krylov and cement himself as a force to be reckoned with at light heavyweight.
On the other hand, Sean Strickland has been recovering from a shoulder injury and has indicated that he'd like to return to the octagon in December. The UFC hasn't officially announced his next fight yet, but the belief is that he could defend his middleweight belt in an immediate rematch against Khamzat Chimaev.
Speaking of Whittaker and Strickland, although they compete in different weight classes now, the Australian fighter recently found himself a target of his American counterpart's verbal warfare.
Strickland said, "He (Robert Whittaker) is like the girl at the party everybody's f**ked." The middleweight titlist implied that Whittaker has fought everyone of note at middleweight and that he wasn't really interested in fighting the Aussie athlete unless there's no one else to face.
Sean Strickland on fighting Robert Whittaker: "He’s like the girl at the party everybody’s f***ed. And you’re just like… uhh, maybe if it’s 3AM and there’s nobody left, I might try it." pic.twitter.com/8ua3HVF7N2
— Joe Rogan Podcast News (@joeroganhq) June 25, 2026
