UFC Fight Night 43 results: Robert Whittaker cruises past Mike Rhodes

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Robert Whittaker, one of the biggest favorites on Saturday’s card, was mostly on cruise control on his way to an easy victory.

Whittaker (12-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) swept the judges’ scorecards to beat Mike Rhodes (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with a trio of 30-27 scores.

The welterweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 43 event at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Whittaker kicked to the body early, and that appeared to be his plan of attack. Rhodes landed a spinning kick with two minutes left in the round, but it didn’t seem to slow Whittaker, who landed a few solid right hands down the stretch.

Whittaker worked his jab in the second and defended Rhodes’ takedown attempts. Midway through the round, he started to back Rhodes down, and though the Duke Roufus-trained Rhodes looked to land, he never truly threatened.

Ninety seconds into the third, both fighters put together solid combinations, trading back and forth. Midway through the round, Whittaker landed a big double-leg takedown, then went to work with ground-and-pound and kept it on cruise control the rest of the way home.

Whittaker snapped a two-fight losing skid and won for the first time in more than a year. Rhodes lost for the second straight time.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 43 results include:

• Robert Whittaker def. Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jake Matthews def. Dashon Johnson via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:16
• Richie Vaculik def. Roldan Sangcha-an via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Vik Grujic def. Chris Indich via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:55
• Neil Magny def. Rodrigo Goiana de Lima via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:32
• Daniel Hooker def. Ian Entwistle via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 3:34
• Gian Villante def. Sean O’Connell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 43, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Auckland.)