Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker won his first fight up at 205lbs against Nikita Krylov by TKO last month and is now eyeing a big opponent for his next bout.
“I’d love to get in there with like Ank [Magomed Ankalaev]. Jan [Blachowicz] just had a loss but would’ve loved to have jumped in there with him,” Whittaker said on the ‘“Believe You Me’ podcast. Bogdan [Guskov] would’ve been great; anyone up.”
That being said, the 35-year-old Whittaker doesn’t appear to be eager to run back a fight against his former middleweight rival turned light-heavyweight contender Paulo Costa, who he already beat by unanimous decision a couple of years ago.
“People keep throwing the name [Paulo] Costa out there, but I’ve fought him before; there’s a lot of other guys out there.”
Whittaker also made it clear that at this stage he isn’t keen on the idea of fighting other 205lb stars who are his training partners.
“I won’t fight the boys that I train with. If we reach a point where we’re 1, 2 and 3, with me, Carlos [Ulberg] and now Nav [Navajo Stirling], I’m sure we can all sit down and find a way to get paid.”
