"The Reaper" seems like an overwhelming nickname for the undisputed 'nice guy' Robert Whittaker. Nevertheless, his personality outside of the octagon shouldn't be mixed up with his fighting skills. The Australian started his MMA journey in 2008 with Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championship.
Whittaker got his first breakthrough in the 2012 season of The Ultimate Fighter. The highlight of his campaign was when he knocked out Luke Newman in 19 seconds of Round 1. He was awarded the 'Knockout of the Season' bonus. Whittaker made his UFC debut against Brad Scott to determine the winner of the TUF welterweight tournament. Whittaker won the fight via unanimous decision.
With two losses and two wins, his career as a welterweight in the UFC was underwhelming. After the win against Mike Rhodes, Whittaker decided to move up a weight class. He revealed in an interview the reason behind moving to middleweight -
“You know, when you start losing your hearing you sit back and wonder ‘why are you doing it’? Your hearing starts going, it’s just water restriction as you are taking water out of everywhere. I haven’t cut under seven kilos for maybe two years.”
Looking back at it, the decision was absolutely on the money. So far, Whittaker has won ten and only lost one bout as a middleweight.
Outside of the octagon, Robert is married to Sofia Whittaker. Let's get to know more about 'Mrs. Reaper' as she cheekily refers to herself.
Who is Robert Whittaker's wife, Sofia Whittaker?
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Sofia attended St. John Bosco College and then studied fitness and health at Australian Catholic University. Following her graduation in 2010, she started working in a gym.
As her Instagram (which has 19k followers) suggests, she is a fitness enthusiast. Sofia also regularly posts about her workout on her socials.
Besides that, she likes to keep most things private regarding her childhood and family.
What does Sofia Whittaker do for a living?
According to her Facebook page, she works at "Robert Whittaker MMA." Facebook, you know. However, it also mentions that she formerly worked as an "assistant store manager at ASN Miranda."
How many kids do Robert and Sofia Whittaker have?
The couple has four kids; three sons - John, Jack, and Jace and one daughter - Lilliana. In an interview with Father Hood, Robert revealed how the fight world had helped his fatherhood -
“Being a fighter has definitely helped me as a man and as a father. I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching on my journey to become a martial artist. There is nothing more exposing and humbling than getting your arse handed to you. Or having a bad day in the gym when you’re expected to be at the top of your game. But it’s things like that that make you aware of what’s really important in life.”
What's the relationship between Robert Whittaker and his wife, Sofia?
The relationship has been going strong for over a decade. Both Robert and Sofia have always considered family as their priority.
In The Father Hood interview, Robert mentions how his wife and family are his priority -
“If I had to sacrifice my time with my family to be the world champ then being the world champ just wouldn’t be worth it. There’s nothing stronger, nothing more powerful than my family that pushes me forward. My family gives me direction and it also gives me fulfilment. My family is what makes everything worth doing.”
*Last updated on July 4, 2023.
FAQs
When did Robert and Sofia marry?
The couple got engaged in 2013 and tied the knot in 2014.
The couple got engaged in 2013 and tied the knot in 2014.
