Robert Whittaker hopes Jiri Prochaska avoids moving to middleweight

Robert Whittaker won't be thrilled if Jiri Prochaska ends up moving down to UFC middleweight.

Former light heavyweight champion Prochaska (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) recently revealed that one of his long-term career goals is to drop down to 185 pounds. He will first try to reclaim the belt in his current weight class, but is confident he can fight in a weight class 20 pounds lower.

Current middleweight titleholder Drikas du Plessis has revealed that Prochazka actually weighs less than him outside of camp and encouraged Prochazka to drop weight.

But Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), a former champion and current favorite, isn't too keen on the idea of ​​Prochaska joining the division.

“I hope he doesn't do that,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade podcast. “I really hope he doesn't move (to middleweight). I like this guy a lot, but if he moves into middleweight, we're enemies. That's the nature of the game. My team They are all enemies, except for Mate.”

Whittaker said he doesn't doubt Prochaska's ability to lose weight. However, he is not so confident in the idea that Prochaska will have the same effect as a fighter jet.

“I can’t see him at (middleweight),” Whittaker said. “I've seen him in person. I walk up to him and he's big, dude. It's not just his build. He's got a big build. Broad shoulders. He's really tall. He's 6 feet 4 inches. But he's a big guy. Don't get me wrong.

“If he wants to be a middleweight, he'll do it. Whether that would be a good move is hard to say. He's banging at light heavy and is said to still have goals there. . If we stay at light heavyweight, we can stay friends.”

Whittaker, ranked No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, will return to the Octagon when he takes on No. 8 Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC main event on ABC6 on June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I plan to.

For more information on this card, visit ABC 6's MMA Junkie's UFC event hub.