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Robert Whittaker

Middleweight · REAL v1.0 (registered) #5; v1.1 (shadow) #6

Descriptive profile. The resume rank is what has been earned; these statistics are context, not a prediction. A test on Oct 20, 2026 found that career statistics add nothing reliable to age, layoff and experience as predictors of the next result (experiments/REGISTER.md, EXP-2026-10-20-14).

Weight band 5-5: the 10th to 90th percentile of his position across weight vectors drawn near the 70/30 weights (the position does not depend on the weights). Rating 1,723, deviation 110: measured from 25 UFC bouts; a one-bout newcomer sits near 290.

Age 35 (born 1990-12-20) · Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) · Reach 73 in (185 cm) · Stance Orthodox · 113 days since last bout (2026-07-11) · Last five 3-2 · Streak W1

Why he is ranked here

Rating 1,723 is the division's 5th highest of 79 board fighters; the ledger stands at +3.4 (+5.4 from quality wins, less 1.0 for blowout losses, less 1.0 for other losses outside the top 5; losses count for three years); 13 quality wins in 15 years, 10 over top-10 opponents, which makes him entrenched; no form penalty (3-2 last five). Score +0.75 = +0.50 (rating term, 70% weight) +0.26 (ledger term, 30% weight) -0.00 (form penalty); score order put him at #5.

TermValueDetail
Score+0.7570% rating term + 30% ledger term - form penalty
Rating term+0.50resume rating 1,723, scaled against the division's interdecile range
Ledger term+0.26quality ledger +3.4: +5.4 QW +0.0 proof -1.0 blowout -1.0 weak
Form penalty0.00last five 3-2
Quality wins, 15 years1310 over top-10 opponents, 13 over top-15; entrenched
Placementscore order #5v1.0 (registered)
Shadow board v1.1#6score +0.59; score order #6

Rules, weights and worked examples: methodology.

Last ten bouts

DateEventOpponentOpp. official rankResultMethodRoundModel p
2026-07-11UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2Nikita Krylov#12WKO/TKO3 (1:01)68%
2025-07-26UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. De RidderReinier de Ridder#13Lsplit decision5 (5:00)64%
2024-10-26UFC 308: Topuria vs. HollowayKhamzat Chimaev#13Lsubmission1 (3:34)48%
2024-06-22UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. AliskerovIkram AliskerovunrankedWKO/TKO1 (1:49)68%
2024-02-17UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. TopuriaPaulo Costa#6Wunanimous decision3 (5:00)68%
2023-07-08UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. RodriguezDricus Du Plessis#5LKO/TKO2 (2:23)52%
2022-09-03UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. TuivasaMarvin Vettori#2Wunanimous decision3 (5:00)59%
2022-02-12UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 (title)Israel AdesanyaCLunanimous decision5 (5:00)48%
2021-04-17UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. GastelumKelvin Gastelum#8Wunanimous decision5 (5:00)59%
2020-10-24UFC 254: Khabib vs. GaethjeJared Cannonier#2Wunanimous decision3 (5:00)65%

Opp. official rank = the UFC media-panel rank of the opponent on the date (C champion, #1 to #15, unranked; n/a before Feb 2013 or where no official board existed). Model p = the predictive model's pre-fight win chance for him (frozen performance-adjusted Elo; bouts before 2020 were in its tuning sample). Linked opponents have a profile.

Career statistics

Through 2026-10-31, UFC bouts only. Percentile = share of the 79 board fighters at Middleweight at or below this value; high is a position in the division, not a verdict.

Output
Significant strikes landed per minute4.41(63rd percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strike accuracy43%(18th percentile at Middleweight)
Knockdowns scored per 15 minutes0.53(72nd percentile at Middleweight)
Share of wins by finish39%(29th percentile at Middleweight)
Defence and damage
Significant strikes absorbed per minute3.40(48th percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strike defence59%(86th percentile at Middleweight)
Knockdowns suffered per 15 minutes0.36(61st percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strikes absorbed, career1,148(92nd percentile at Middleweight)
KO/TKO losses3 (last 2023-07-08, 1,212 days ago)(94th percentile at Middleweight)
Submission losses1(87th percentile at Middleweight)
KO/TKO losses per bout over 10 years, each weighted down by the finisher's danger0.036(42nd percentile at Middleweight)
Grappling
Takedowns landed per 15 minutes0.71(33rd percentile at Middleweight)
Takedown defence80%(72nd percentile at Middleweight)
Share of cage time in control8%(24th percentile at Middleweight)
Share of significant strikes landed in the clinch or on the ground13%(26th percentile at Middleweight)
Stylestriker (1.9 takedown attempts per 15 min; 8% control)
Career stage
Age35.9(78th percentile at Middleweight)
Age at UFC debut22.0(4th percentile at Middleweight)
Years since UFC debut13.9(99th percentile at Middleweight)
UFC bouts25(96th percentile at Middleweight)
Cage time, minutes338(96th percentile at Middleweight)
Bouts per year, last three years1.7(44th percentile at Middleweight)
Days since last bout113(63rd percentile at Middleweight)

Board position since Oct 2023

C24681020252026Oct 2023Oct 20262023-10-06: #3, Middleweight2023-10-13: #3, Middleweight2023-10-20: #3, Middleweight2023-11-03: #3, Middleweight2023-11-10: #3, Middleweight2023-11-17: #3, Middleweight2023-12-01: #3, Middleweight2023-12-08: #3, Middleweight2023-12-15: #3, Middleweight2024-01-12: #3, Middleweight2024-01-19: #3, Middleweight2024-02-02: #3, Middleweight2024-02-09: #3, Middleweight2024-02-16: #3, Middleweight2024-02-23: #3, Middleweight2024-03-01: #3, Middleweight2024-03-08: #3, Middleweight2024-03-15: #3, Middleweight2024-03-22: #3, Middleweight2024-03-29: #3, Middleweight2024-04-05: #3, Middleweight2024-04-12: #3, Middleweight2024-04-26: #3, Middleweight2024-05-03: #3, Middleweight2024-05-10: #3, Middleweight2024-05-17: #3, Middleweight2024-05-31: #3, Middleweight2024-06-07: #3, Middleweight2024-06-14: #3, Middleweight2024-06-21: #3, Middleweight2024-06-28: #3, Middleweight2024-07-12: #3, Middleweight2024-07-19: #3, Middleweight2024-07-26: #3, Middleweight2024-08-02: #3, Middleweight2024-08-09: #3, Middleweight2024-08-16: #3, Middleweight2024-08-23: #2, Middleweight2024-09-06: #2, Middleweight2024-09-13: #2, Middleweight2024-09-27: #2, Middleweight2024-10-04: #1, Middleweight2024-10-11: #1, Middleweight2024-10-18: #1, Middleweight2024-10-25: #1, Middleweight2024-11-01: #3, Middleweight2024-11-08: #3, Middleweight2024-11-15: #3, Middleweight2024-11-22: #3, Middleweight2024-12-06: #3, Middleweight2024-12-13: #3, Middleweight2025-01-10: #3, Middleweight2025-01-17: #3, Middleweight2025-01-31: #3, Middleweight2025-02-07: #3, Middleweight2025-02-14: #2, Middleweight2025-02-21: #2, Middleweight2025-02-28: #2, Middleweight2025-03-07: #2, Middleweight2025-03-14: #2, Middleweight2025-03-21: #2, Middleweight2025-03-28: #2, Middleweight2025-04-04: #2, Middleweight2025-04-11: #2, Middleweight2025-04-25: #2, Middleweight2025-05-02: #2, Middleweight2025-05-09: #2, Middleweight2025-05-16: #2, Middleweight2025-05-30: #2, Middleweight2025-06-06: #2, Middleweight2025-06-13: #2, Middleweight2025-06-20: #2, Middleweight2025-06-27: #2, Middleweight2025-07-11: #2, Middleweight2025-07-18: #2, Middleweight2025-07-25: #2, Middleweight2025-08-01: #7, Middleweight2025-08-08: #7, Middleweight2025-08-15: #6, Middleweight2025-08-22: #6, Middleweight2025-09-05: #6, Middleweight2025-09-12: #6, Middleweight2025-09-26: #6, Middleweight2025-10-03: #6, Middleweight2025-10-10: #6, Middleweight2025-10-17: #6, Middleweight2025-10-24: #6, Middleweight2025-10-31: #6, Middleweight2025-11-07: #6, Middleweight2025-11-14: #6, Middleweight2025-11-21: #6, Middleweight2025-12-05: #6, Middleweight2025-12-12: #6, Middleweight2026-01-23: #6, Middleweight2026-01-30: #6, Middleweight2026-02-06: #6, Middleweight2026-02-20: #6, Middleweight2026-02-27: #6, Middleweight2026-03-06: #6, Middleweight2026-03-13: #7, Middleweight2026-03-20: #7, Middleweight2026-03-27: #7, Middleweight2026-04-03: #8, Middleweight2026-04-10: #8, Middleweight2026-04-17: #8, Middleweight2026-04-24: #8, Middleweight2026-05-01: #8, Middleweight2026-05-08: #8, Middleweight2026-05-15: #8, Middleweight2026-05-29: #8, Middleweight2026-06-05: #8, Middleweight2026-06-13: #8, Middleweight2026-06-19: #8, Middleweight2026-06-26: #8, Middleweight2026-07-10: #8, Middleweight2026-07-17: #5, Middleweight2026-07-24: #5, Middleweight2026-07-31: #5, Middleweight2026-08-07: #5, Middleweight2026-08-14: #5, Middleweight2026-08-21: #5, Middleweight2026-08-28: #5, Middleweight2026-09-04: #5, Middleweight2026-09-11: #5, Middleweight2026-09-18: #5, Middleweight2026-09-25: #5, Middleweight2026-09-26: #5, Middleweight2026-10-03: #5, Middleweight2026-10-10: #5, Middleweight2026-10-17: #5, Middleweight2026-10-24: #5, Middleweight2026-10-31: #5, Middleweight#5

Position on the registered v1.0 board at each weekly snapshot (C = title holder or reserved, drawn at the top; lower is better).

Predictive rating by bout

1,4001,5001,6001,7001,8001,9002017201920212023Dec 2012Oct 20262012-12-14: 1,547 (W vs Brad Scott)2013-05-25: 1,605 (W vs Colton Smith)2013-08-28: 1,557 (L vs Court McGee)2014-02-22: 1,495 (L vs Stephen Thompson)2014-06-28: 1,532 (W vs Mike Rhodes)2014-11-07: 1,602 (W vs Clint Hester)2015-05-09: 1,671 (W vs Brad Tavares)2015-11-14: 1,703 (W vs Uriah Hall)2016-04-23: 1,724 (W vs Rafael Natal)2016-11-26: 1,794 (W vs Derek Brunson)2017-04-15: 1,853 (W vs Jacare Souza)2017-07-08: 1,865 (W vs Yoel Romero)2018-06-09: 1,865 (W vs Yoel Romero)2019-10-05: 1,798 (L vs Israel Adesanya)2020-07-25: 1,803 (W vs Darren Till)2020-10-24: 1,811 (W vs Jared Cannonier)2021-04-17: 1,850 (W vs Kelvin Gastelum)2022-02-12: 1,838 (L vs Israel Adesanya)2022-09-03: 1,868 (W vs Marvin Vettori)2023-07-08: 1,809 (L vs Dricus Du Plessis)2024-02-17: 1,818 (W vs Paulo Costa)2024-06-22: 1,857 (W vs Ikram Aliskerov)2024-10-26: 1,816 (L vs Khamzat Chimaev)2025-07-26: 1,793 (L vs Reinier de Ridder)2026-07-11: 1,769 (W vs Nikita Krylov)1,769

Rating after each UFC bout from the frozen predictive model (performance-adjusted Elo, data/processed/elo_history.csv; a debut starts at 1,500). The resume rating's history is not stored, so this is the predictive line, which is a different number from the resume rating in the header.

Trajectory

Recent performances run about 48 points behind the rating: fighters this age typically run 51 points behind their rating, and his own recent results track that.

ComponentPointsMeaning
Age component-51what fighters aged 35.9 typically run relative to their rating (population curve, all UFC bouts since 2011)
Own recent results+3his recency-weighted mean and trend over 25 bouts, shrunk toward zero; trend -1 points a year
Combined-48the rating's likely distance from his current performance level, in rating points
Readingbehind ratingahead of, in line with (within 30 points), or behind the rating

Performance relative to the rating, by age

-1.0-0.5+0.0+0.5+1.022242628303234362012-12-14 (age 22.0): W vs Brad Scott, residual +0.122013-05-25 (age 22.4): W vs Colton Smith, residual +0.562013-08-28 (age 22.7): L vs Court McGee, residual -0.092014-02-22 (age 23.2): L vs Stephen Thompson, residual -0.472014-06-28 (age 23.5): W vs Mike Rhodes, residual +0.282014-11-07 (age 23.9): W vs Clint Hester, residual +0.572015-05-09 (age 24.4): W vs Brad Tavares, residual +0.492015-11-14 (age 24.9): W vs Uriah Hall, residual +0.362016-04-23 (age 25.3): W vs Rafael Natal, residual +0.192016-11-26 (age 25.9): W vs Derek Brunson, residual +0.502017-04-15 (age 26.3): W vs Jacare Souza, residual +0.612017-07-08 (age 26.5): W vs Yoel Romero, residual +0.222018-06-09 (age 27.5): W vs Yoel Romero, residual +0.102019-10-05 (age 28.8): L vs Israel Adesanya, residual -0.562020-07-25 (age 29.6): W vs Darren Till, residual +0.012020-10-24 (age 29.8): W vs Jared Cannonier, residual -0.012021-04-17 (age 30.3): W vs Kelvin Gastelum, residual +0.372022-02-12 (age 31.1): L vs Israel Adesanya, residual -0.072022-09-03 (age 31.7): W vs Marvin Vettori, residual +0.232023-07-08 (age 32.5): L vs Dricus Du Plessis, residual -0.582024-02-17 (age 33.2): W vs Paulo Costa, residual +0.162024-06-22 (age 33.5): W vs Ikram Aliskerov, residual +0.282024-10-26 (age 33.9): L vs Khamzat Chimaev, residual -0.562025-07-26 (age 34.6): L vs Reinier de Ridder, residual -0.152026-07-11 (age 35.6): W vs Nikita Krylov, residual +0.46-0.07

Each dot is one decided UFC bout at his age then: the performance score minus the rating's expectation, on the score's own scale from -1 to +1 (filled = win, hollow = loss; above zero is better than the rating implied; a finish as a slight favourite is about +0.45). The dashed line is the population curve for all fighters; the solid line is this fighter's own fitted level and trend as of the data date, weighted toward recent bouts. One unit sustained over many bouts corresponds to about 695 rating points; a single bout's residual is noisy.

Held-out evidence (walk-forward 2016 to 2026, EXP-2026-10-21-01): the age curve held in every test year; the individual component is a weak signal (correlation 0.06 with the next bout's residual; among fighters aged 33 or over, the lowest predicted quartile won 38% of next bouts against 53% expected, the highest 48% against 52%) and adds nothing to bout prediction beyond the shadow model. No board uses any of it: the rankings answer who has earned the place, not who wins next (EXP-2026-10-20-09). Method: src/mmalab/decline.py; settings: config/decline.yaml (expectation from the resume rating; one unit of residual is about 695 rating points).

Context flags

Descriptive only. Each line is a population fact about fighters like him, not a forecast for him; the register entries hold the measurements.

REAL v1.0 (registered method) · build c166ee8 · data through 2026-10-31 · page built 2026-11-06 · changelog. Independent fan research project built on public UFCStats data. Not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by UFC, Zuffa, LLC, TKO Group Holdings, or any athlete. All trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify athletes and events.