Robert Whittaker Vows To Retire ‘If I Start Getting Knocked Out’

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker doesn’t see himself fighting into his forties like 185lb legend Anderson Silva who is still going at 45.

‘The Spider’ suffered a fourth-round TKO defeat against Uriah Hall on October 31. Many believe we have seen Silva for the final time inside the UFC octagon. Whittaker claims time catches everyone and despite the clear and immense ability Silva possesses he is now lacking what it takes to beat the best.

“You can see that his timing is half a second off, he can’t take the shots like he could when he was younger, he doesn’t hit quite as hard,” Whittaker told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. “Anderson Silva back in his prime, he couldn’t get touched, and when he got touched he shrugged off everything. He was unstoppable, he was uncanny, but it required the perfect balance of youth and physical attributes and talent. Whereas now he’s experienced and the talent is obviously there, that’s why he’s still competitive, that’s why he’s still doing so well, but his youth and his physical attributes have declined a little bit. When you’re fighting top-caliber dudes, top-tier guys, like young, hungry, physical guys – look at the specimen of Uriah Hall. You’re fighting a dude that’s in the prime of his physical abilities and with the talent to go with it, it’s just scary.”

Despite admiring Silva’s desire to continue fighting, Whittaker insists he will not be fighting into his forties. The 29-year-old is eyeing another five or six years in the sport before hanging them up.

“Hell no,” Whittaker said. “This game is stressful. That’s another thing, these guys that fight throughout their late 30s, early 40s, this game never gets easier. Every fight, never gets easier. The stresses and the nerves are always there. Like, always. I don’t know why they just keep throwing themselves into this game. It is crazy, in my opinion.

“I have a soft cap, and I’m obviously going to go on how my body feels, but if I start getting knocked out and start losing, my health comes first – I’m gonna just bow out.”

How many more times do you think we’ll see Robert Whittaker inside the Octagon?