Robert Whittaker Predicts That He’ll Finish Michael Bisping at UFC 193

It’s the norm for a fighter to change weight classes after they win their season of The Ultimate Fighter. Typically, you’ll see the athlete go down a division, but Australian Robert Whittaker did the opposite. He moved up to the middleweight division after emerging as the welterweight winner of the second international installment of the reality series, The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes in 2012.

Since the change in weight class, Whittaker has put together back-to-back wins, including a Performance of the Night worthy knockout of Brad Tavares in his last outing.

The 24-year-old rising prospect takes on veteran Michael Bisping on the UFC 193 main card on Nov. 15. Whittaker has only gone to a decision twice in his six-year fighting career and doesn’t expect his bout against Bisping to go to the judges’ scorecards.

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“I think Bisping is going to bring it. I think he’s going come there with an expectation to win, but I go in there, I finish my fights. That’s what I look to do and I think I’m going finish him too,” Whittaker recently told Submission Radio.

Bisping is known for his conditioning and constant offensive output. He doesn’t fade in fights, but Whittaker plans to be the one dictating the pace.

“You just need to be tougher. You need to break him, and he’s a tough guy. He’s got cardio for days and you can’t let him suck you into his sort of fight. You need to attack him. You need to set the pace and you need to dictate the fight your way,” he said.

Whittaker is ranked twelfth in the UFC’s 185-pound division, while Bisping occupies the eighth spot. A win over Bisping would catapult Whittaker up the rankings, and he believes he has advantages over his opponent that will ensure a win.

“Bisping’s got a huge array of skills, and they’re all tried and tested. But I think I’m faster. I think I’m stronger. I think I’m more explosive, and I think I’m hungrier to be honest,” said the Australian. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”