Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker appears to be growing increasingly certain that he’ll move up to light-heavyweight for his next fight.

The 35-year-old Whittaker has been toying with the idea of moving up to 205lbs for a while now, and back-to-back defeats against Khamzat Chimaev and Reiner de Ridder may have convinced him that’s the way forward in 2026.

However, it seems like the challenging nature of the weight cut to 185lbs may be the biggest issue, though he still feels he has unfinished business left in the division.

“The last couple of cuts have been hard,” Whittaker said on the Ariel Helwani Show. “I feel like the division is open. I feel like there are a lot of guys that my skill set can prevail on. I’m at a point where I could be convinced out of [moving up a division] but… I feel so weak by the end of the 185 pound camp. It takes a lot of fun out of it… I’m 90% there [about moving up to 205lbs.]”

Whittaker also revealed that he’s already at a good weight to consider fighting up a division given that he’s currently tipping the scales at 235lbs.

The next step will be to actually commit to the move by booking a fight, and he says his current target is to compete in June, which could put him in the running to fight at the UFC: White House event that month.