PowerfulJREJRE MMA Show #187 with Robert Whittaker
PowerfulJRE
Life Around Fighting 0:01
Robert Whittaker talks about how much his life has changed since he started fighting at 20. He has gone from being single and free to being married with six kids, mortgages, businesses, and a supplement line with Mousashi. Rogan says the work never really stops, and Whittaker agrees that combat sports force you to keep moving and keep busy.
Styles And Longevity 2:01
They turn to fighters who last a long time, especially Jared Cannonier, King Green, Michael Page, and Carlos Prates. They talk about point fighting, fast entries, small gloves, and the way some styles let a fighter score and get out before damage lands. Whittaker says his own approach is to be fast and land first, while Rogan notes that loose, happy fighters can be dangerous because they stay relaxed under pressure.
Unusual kicks 15:00
They talk about moves you cannot really train safely in the gym. A fighter can surprise you with a spinning or flipping kick, and there is only a split second to react. They watch a clip of Galore Bofando doing a front flip into an axe kick on a heavy bag. The move looks fast, strange, and hard to believe, and they joke that you would take it straight between the eyes.
Old injuries and warmups 18:32
The talk turns to small injuries that show up after hard training. One man says he hurt his back in the shower after a good workout, and another says age makes even simple things risky, like sprinting or racing a child. They compare this with elite athletes who warm up for a long time, like Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao, who use careful routines before they work.
Wear and injury 29:32
Heavy grapplers wear their bodies down. Knees, necks, and backs take the strain, and older fighters start protecting joints instead of exploding into scrambles. That hesitation can change a takedown battle. When you are young, you keep fighting through every position. Later, surgeries and pain make you think first and move second, and that can be enough to lose a round.
Winning over style 34:00
The talk turns to fighters who win in ways people call boring. Hamzat Chimaev’s control of Dricus du Plessis is held up as a hard example of top-level wrestling, with repeated crucifix positions and steady pressure. The point is that fights are about winning, not pleasing a crowd. If a fighter is undefeated and still getting results, the sensible answer is to match him with someone who can force a harder fight.
Unexpected finishes 44:00
A right hook from the bottom leads into a long stretch on strange knockouts and talking during fights. The discussion keeps coming back to Kevin Holland, who can strike while speaking, and to how some fighters stay loose enough to throw at half power and still hurt people. Nick Diaz comes up as the model for that style. He does not rush. He keeps a pace you cannot hold for long, and that pressure broke Paul Daley after Daley had dropped him early.
Prime and conditions 50:02
Nick Diaz is framed as a fighter whose cardio is built into his life, not his camp. The talk runs through his long career, from early UFC and IFC fights to wars with Robbie Lawler, Jeremy Jackson, and Anderson Silva. Anderson is described as untouchable in his prime, but the point is that you have to judge fighters at their best, not after age and damage set in. The Abu Dhabi card is then used to show how humidity, delay, and open air can change a championship fight.
Fighters and fighting style 59:00
They compare fighters like Marvin Hagler and Carlos Prates, one built on hard discipline and the other on ease and flair. Prates makes Jack Della Maddalena’s loss feel brutal because he reads well, steps in with that left-side knee to the body, then slips back out of range and tags people from across the cage. They also point out Leon Edwards’ left hand and how dangerous long, rangy fighters can be when they cover distance fast and stay hard to find.
Training and fatigue 1:03:01
The talk shifts to training methods. They question hard cardio before skill work, saying exhaustion can make your movement sloppy and your mind drift, even if it helps you learn to fight tired. They prefer skill work when fresh, then hard rounds or sport-specific fatigue later. They mention Sam Kivvi’s garage in California, where elite fighters do brutal bike and medicine-ball sessions, and recall BJ Penn’s Marinovich camps built around plyometrics, not much sparring, and a huge gas tank.
Ghee and no gi grips 1:14:00
They talk about how gi training punishes mistakes more sharply, because you cannot just explode out of bad positions when someone has grips on your clothes. John Jacques Machado is used as the clear example. Because he was born with only a thumb on one hand, his game leaned on overhooks, underhooks, and other wrestling-based holds, so his style carried into no gi with little change.
Neck control and body prep 1:18:01
Marcelo Garcia is held up as the model for simple finishing: chokes, neck control, and very few armbars. Craig Jones is described as funny, smart, and dangerous, while Gordon Ryan is said to win by control rather than athletic bursts. The talk then turns to Hixson Gracie and training like flexibility, cold plunges, neck work, balance, break dancing, gymnastics, and strong core and rotational work.
Electricity and injury 1:28:31
They talk first about people doing reckless things around power lines and how dangerous electricity is. One of them says he worked as an electrician before fighting, going through an apprenticeship and leaving for The Ultimate Fighter without ever going back. That leads into stories of shocks, burns, lightning strikes, and how some people survive while others die or are badly scarred.
Pain and weight cuts 1:34:34
The talk shifts to tasers and pain tolerance. They compare men who fight through the shock with men who drop instantly, and joke about whether the right person should be tased at all. The subject then turns to Robert Whittaker's old welterweight cuts, how brutal they were, and how much better he felt once he moved up, with more food, more energy, and less constant depletion.
Weight Cuts and Clothes 1:42:30
He says one small thing upset him: his clothes no longer fit unless he is trimmed down for a suit fitting. That made him think about the end of a 15-year UFC career and feel like he would have nothing to show for it. The talk turns to whether MMA would be better if weight cutting were stopped and fighters simply competed at a healthy, natural weight.
Testing and Brutal History 1:44:00
They imagine random weigh-ins the way drug tests work, but admit it would cut into fighter freedom and be hard to enforce. The discussion then shifts to old Pride heavyweights, where steroids were openly tolerated and huge fighters like Fedor, Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, and Wanderlei made the division feel wild. They also talk about Mark Hunt’s toughness, Bisping’s one-eyed win, and leg kicks as the way to stop fast movers.
Switching Stances 1:56:30
Switching stances is treated as a major edge because it changes the angles for every punch and kick. A fighter who must stay orthodox or southpaw can be pushed into a weak spot when the front leg is compromised. Robert Whittaker points to TJ Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen, and the second Izzy fight, where a switch left straight caught him off guard. He says young fighters should learn both sides early, though a single-stance style can still work if it is elite.
Tall Frames and Power 2:00:01
The talk turns to tall fighters who stay in one stance, especially Alex Pereira and his long, heavy left hook and calf kick. His posture does not break, and his length lets him chip away without closing distance. That leads to Yousri Belgaroui, a 6'6 kickboxer at 185, training with Pereira and Glover Teixeira. Against Mansur Abdul-Malik, he showed sharp takedown defense, hard knees, and steady pressure until Abdul-Malik was badly beaten up and never looked the same again.
Pressure and control 2:11:00
He talks about the kind of pressure hold game where one fighter can keep another down for long stretches. His view is plain. If you can hold someone down for five rounds under the rules, you are winning, even if it is ugly and the crowd boos. He says fans will complain either way, and that control still counts as fighting because the other person has to find a way up.
Weight cuts and routines 2:19:30
The talk shifts to his own move to light heavyweight. He walks around at 106 kilos, about 232 pounds, and starts camp around 103. He still cuts about 15 pounds in a bath, because he sweats well and finds it easier than running or sauna work. He is unsure about water loading and says he uses it more out of habit than certainty. He also questions whether science can sometimes crowd out the rough, stubborn side of fighting.
Fraud checks and respect 2:26:02
Strickland comes up as an example of how fans rush to call a fighter a fraud after one hard loss, even when the style is smart and the performance is clear. The talk pushes back on that cruelty. Fighting is described as a very exposed thing, with men risking knockouts in front of friends, family, and the world. The loudest critics are called the worst kind of people.
Talent, training, and talk 2:32:00
The conversation shifts to how longer careers are possible now through better training, recovery tools, food, and sports science. Whittaker says he and his wife made an app, Ascend Fitness by Rob, built around longevity, check-ins, and monthly Q and A sessions. He also says many fighters need more plain talk with people who understand them, because teammates, gyms, and close circles matter when pressure builds.
Closing talk and links 2:40:31
They finish by joking about crocodiles, alligators, snakes, and deadly spiders in Australia, then turn to the country’s comedy scene and drinking culture. Whittaker says the room last night had great energy and made him want to work clubs in Sydney and elsewhere. They talk about the way a good club feels settled by years of laughter, like the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. The conversation ends with praise for Robert Whittaker’s podcast, his handle, and his website, followed by a friendly sign-off.
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