This weekend, Robert Whittaker headlines his first ever UFC fight card when he takes on fellow middleweight contender Derek Brunson.

Making the move to middleweight

Whittaker is currently riding a five-fight win streak in the UFC and has been almost flawless since making the move from welterweight to middleweight. Speaking with the UFC Unfiltered Podcast this week, Whittaker outlined the differences he’d made in his camp since making the move up in weight.

“I feel great mate, I just feel super excited for this fight,” Whittaker said. “There’s going to be fireworks and I just can’t wait. I feel much, much, much better at middleweight. If I could go back in time I probably would’ve moved up a little bit sooner. I didn’t realize how much cutting the weight was going to affect my performance—not only in the fight, but during the camp. Since I’ve moved up to middleweight the results have been speaking for themselves really.

“My personal mentality is every fight I win, I move one step closer to achieving my goals. I also become better as a fighter and my journey is all about becoming a better fighter.”

Brutal weight cuts down to the 170-pounds

Whittaker entered the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes where he won the 170-pounds weight class competition. Despite winning, Whittaker described it was a horrible experience and one he would never try again due to the drastic weight cutting he was having to do in the house.

“Fighting and then winning having to move on and fight a week and a half later [was difficult],” Whittaker said. After one fight I kinda got a bit mad and crazy, myself I’m a big eater and I overate massively and had to cut back down in a week and a half. It was absolutely miserable.

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“I walk around at about 98-kilos (216-pounds). Yeah, like 210-208. It was hard at the time. It was hard.”

Respect for Brunson

When asked about his opponent this weekend, Derek Brunson, Whittaker had plenty of respect for the American, but said he believed had more than enough to get the job done.

“I’m going to make sure my own striking ability is up to par,” Whittaker said. “I’m also doing plenty of strength training and my Jiu Jitsu along with my striking so I’m making sure there are no gaps or holes in my game plan.

“[Brunson] is a tough dude, he’s a solid dude, and he deserves to be in the top ten. I’m going into this fight knowing all this stuff. I’m not going to be surprised by anything that comes to me on fight night.”

Ready to make an impact on the top 5

Having racked up five wins in a row already in the division, Whittaker is just one big win away from really putting himself amongst the elite at 185-pounds. Whittaker believes that when he gets there, he’s going to be able to more than handle himself with the likes of Michael Bisping and Yoel Romero.

“I think I match up fine,” Whittaker said without hesitation. “I think every one of those dudes has their strengths in their respective arsenal and I think I have my striking behind me and that I versed enough in every other field.

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“I think at the end of the day it’s a fight you know and anything can happen. I think I match up very well with them and I’m looking forward to fighting them. I think both me and Derek have title contention ability. What I think you going to see come fight night is a title fight almost. It’s going to be filled with fireworks and it’s going to be explosive, strategic and I think it’s going to be a great fight.”

Fulfilling a dream of being the main event in Australia

Anyone thinking that being the added pressure of being the main event might affect Whittaker on fight night may want to think again. The Australian maintained there was only one downside to being the headline act and that it would mean nothing come the time of the opening bell.  

“Personally, the only thing that affects me is the extra media stuff and that doesn’t affect me all that much—it’s just annoying,” Whittaker said. “Being main event doesn’t affect me come the fight, it just means I’m later on the card. I’m honored to be the main event on an Australia card and it’s a real milestone for me and a huge achievement.”