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UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker has taken to his official social media account to reveal that he’s now a BJJ black belt.
Robert Whittaker is now a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt
Robert Whittaker took to Instagram and posted a photograph of himself with his BJJ coach and friend Alex Prates. The Reaper also posted a statement alongside the photo that read as follows:
“Honoured to be handed my black belt from my coach and friend @alexprates07 . Started Gi 16 years ago and I'm stoked to have hit this milestone in my career. Lookout world. If you're in so much as a long sleeve shirt. Danger.”
Robert Whittaker noted that he has been awarded his BJJ black belt by his coach and friend Alex Prates. The former UFC middleweight champion recalled that he started training Gi BJJ 16 years back, adding that he’s excited about having reached this milestone in his career.
Additionally, Whittaker lightheartedly suggested that people ought to beware of his dangerous submission skills from now on.
Robert Whittaker possesses highly underrated grappling skills
Robert Whittaker started off his MMA career primarily as a striker. However, his ascent to the top of the UFC middleweight division also witnessed his grappling skills improve in leaps and bounds.
Robert Whittaker has grappled with the best MMA grappling savants, including Yoel Romero. Needless to say, Whittaker’s grappling skills – be it his wrestling or BJJ – are regarded as one of the more underrated weapons in his MMA arsenal.
Robert Whittaker is likely to fight for the UFC middleweight title in 2021
The UFC middleweight division is currently ruled by Israel Adesanya. The Last Stylebender is the reigning UFC middleweight champion and has recorded wins over several top contenders in the 185-pound weight class.
In light of his dominance in the middleweight division, Adesanya and the UFC recently came to terms on giving him a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Adesanya is all set to move up to the 205-pound weight class to challenge current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for the latter’s title.
The Israel Adesanya vs. Jan Blachowicz 'champion vs. champion' superfight is likely to transpire in the first quarter of 2021.
On that note, the MMA world has now been set abuzz with news regarding the UFC potentially targeting a fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa for March 2021.
The belief is that the Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa matchup will be contested for the interim UFC middleweight title. The winner of this matchup will face Israel Adesanya in a UFC middleweight title unification bout after the latter’s fight against Jan Blachowicz.
