JRE MMA Show #187 with Robert Whittaker

Joe sits down with Robert Whittaker, a professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the UFC's light heavyweight division and host of the "MMArcade" podcast. https://www.ascendfitnessbyrob.com/ https://www.musashi.com/pages/reaper-range https://www.patreon.com/cw/MMArcadePodcast https://www.youtube.com/@MMArcadePodcast https://www.robwhittaker.co Perplexity: Download the app or ask Perplexity anything at https://pplx.ai/rogan. Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using https://dkng.co/rogan or through my promo code ROGAN. Sign up at https://Foxnation.com/RAF to stream RAF 14 LIVE on October 23 at 9p EST

Robert WhittakerguestJoe Roganhost

Oct 22, 20262h 48mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

150 min read · 30,016 words

0:00 – 0:02
Intro
1. RWRobert Whittaker
  [upbeat music]
0:02 – 1:52
Comedy club firsts, family life, and balancing a fighter’s schedule
1. RWRobert Whittaker
  Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out.
2. JRJoe Rogan
  The Joe Rogan Experience.
3. RWRobert Whittaker
  Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night. All day. [upbeat music]
4. JRJoe Rogan
  All right.
5. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
6. JRJoe Rogan
  What's up, Robert? Good to see you, brother.
7. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, thank you.
8. JRJoe Rogan
  What's happening?
9. RWRobert Whittaker
  Thank you so much for having me, and I wanna thank you for last night, you know?
10. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, my pleasure.
11. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
12. JRJoe Rogan
  Glad you had a good time.
13. RWRobert Whittaker
  Seeing, seeing the show was just unbelievable. It was my first time at a comedy club.
14. JRJoe Rogan
  Ever?
15. RWRobert Whittaker
  Ever.
16. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, wow.
17. RWRobert Whittaker
  And, um, yeah, it blew my mind. It's just-
18. JRJoe Rogan
  There's some good comedy clubs in Australia. In Sydney, they have the Comics Lounge.
19. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
20. JRJoe Rogan
  That's a great spot.
21. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, no, I've, I've heard of them. I just never found the time to-
22. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah. Oh, I get it
23. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... to, try and juggle it to tick, yeah
24. JRJoe Rogan
  I don't know how the fuck you guys have time for anything.
25. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
26. JRJoe Rogan
  You know, and you have a bunch of kids, married-
27. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
28. JRJoe Rogan
  ... like a, a-
29. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
30. JRJoe Rogan
  ... an actual life outside of fighting.
1:52 – 4:28
Aging “outliers” and why evasion styles last longer
1. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, for sure, especially in combat sports. Especially when you consider the fact that even in the, the, the outlier end, you only have a certain amount of time. Like, true outliers in the sport, I think one of the true outliers in the sport right now is Jared Cannonier. He's one of the outliers-
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
3. JRJoe Rogan
  ... because that dude is... How old is he now?
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  He's like 41.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  41, 42, somewhere.
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  41.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  How old is Jared Cannonier, young Jamie? 42. 42.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  Still shredded. S-
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, like anybody's business. [laughs]
11. JRJoe Rogan
  Still shredded.
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like [laughs]
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Still works out like a fucking demon.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  [coughs]
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Still has insane cardio and drive.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Still wins fights in the trenches.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. Yeah.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Like that fight with Gregory Rodriguez.
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  He was getting blasted in that first round.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  It looked bad.
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Comes on and wins it in the trenches and stops him.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  Even when he loses, it's not like, it's not like-
27. JRJoe Rogan
  Not by much.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, it's not by much-
29. JRJoe Rogan
  No
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... at all. Like when, when he lost to, to Robo- [laughs] Robocop, um, it, it was like-
4:28 – 7:01
Point fighting as an MMA “missing link” and Whittaker’s blitzing approach
1. JRJoe Rogan
  He's just, I've always said, I said it from early on, that I think that that's a missing link in MMA, is point fighting.
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Hm.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  These guys who really n- know how to do that style and then learn the other things.
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Because that style is so, it, it, it's, you cover so much distance so quickly, and they're so good at avoiding shots and then leaping in, and they're so good at timing and scoring. And if you could score with one shot like those guys do, they leap in and score with one, if you're a good combination fighter, once you connect once, then the other shots can flow from that-
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes, yes
7. JRJoe Rogan
  ... if you develop that style on top of that original point fighting style.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  100%. And, like, the, the, the huge factor in all this is, like, they're such small gloves.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  A touch can stop you.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  Yep.
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, that's all you need. And that's kinda been my approach with how I f- my fight style, is just to be, be fast.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  Be fast. Just get, just land my hands. Just get my hands on him.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, you have a very similar style in a lot of ways. Like, your very wide stance. You have a lot of, you blitz a lot.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  You leap in and leap out, very fast and agile.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  I feel like that's a great style also to, like, avoid the, like some of these fight- some guys, like you see these fights where they just, like, fucking-
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
21. JRJoe Rogan
  ... stand right in front of each other, and-
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  And just slug it out
23. JRJoe Rogan
  ... some guys thrive on it. You know? It's like that's, that's their thing. They like to just stand-
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
25. JRJoe Rogan
  ... in the pocket and blast it out.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  But for how long?
27. JRJoe Rogan
  I know.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  You know who... And tell me if you think he's an out- he's an outlier as well, is that King heen?
29. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, God.
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] 'Cause like-
7:01 – 10:16
Relaxed killers: Carlos Prates, fight psychology, and partying before bouts
1. JRJoe Rogan
  And, you know, you said something interesting last night. You said, like, "A happy Robert is a fucking dangerous Robert."
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, yeah.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  And we were, we were talking about Carlos Prates-
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
5. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and how C- Carlos Prates looks like he's always having fun in there. He's so relaxed.
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  And we were talking about his time in Thailand when he moved there, and he, he essentially had, over the course of, like, something like six years, he had 100 Muay Thai fights-
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
9. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and kickboxing fights, which is crazy.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. That's, that's wild-
11. JRJoe Rogan
  But-
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... because Muay Thai is so damaging on the body. [laughs]
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, it's hell. Yeah.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Yeah.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  But he-
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
17. JRJoe Rogan
  ... but because of that, he developed this very loose, like, relaxed style.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, very aggressive-
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
21. JRJoe Rogan
  ... but also just very comfortable inside of the octagon.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. Like, he doesn't, he doesn't get that kind of fight or flight response anymore.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  He just, he just turns up, and he's just accustomed to it.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  You know, and he lives in that, in that space. But... 'Cause everyone's waiting... I guess not everyone. It's like everybody that... I don't know how to phrase it. It's like everybody, [laughs] everybody that doesn't drink and smoke before a fight is waiting for it to catch up with him-
27. JRJoe Rogan
  [laughs]
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... so they can justify why they don't drink and smoke, right?
29. JRJoe Rogan
  [laughs]
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  'Cause I guarantee you, if I started drinking and smoking before a fight, I'm gone. [laughs]
10:16 – 31:34
“Touch of death” power, leg injuries, and breaking down Ulberg vs. Jiri
1. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah. Well, there's that, too. That's, that's interesting, 'cause you're a power puncher. You're a power kicker. But there's, like... There's people that have a weird power, right? It's like it doesn't even... Like Pereira.
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  The Ngannou power.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, Ngannou. Or, um, you know, uh, there's, uh, uh-
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  I-
5. JRJoe Rogan
  ... Damian Pina. You know that dude?
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Jesus Christ.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Yes, yes. Um-
9. JRJoe Rogan
  That guy, that's-
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... Ulberg
11. JRJoe Rogan
  ... Yeah. Ulberg-
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  With that left hook
13. JRJoe Rogan
  ... has got crazy power
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... can just switch people off.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Crazy power. Yeah.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  That Jiri fight.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Mm-hmm.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  That Ji- that last Jiri fight.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Blown out leg.
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Oh, my goodness. And Jiri, like, [laughs] oh, my goodness.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  Jiri needs a psychologist.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  He needs someone to talk to him and say, "We have to have strategies."
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  He, he-
25. JRJoe Rogan
  "Okay, you, you're a seek-and-kill fighter. When a guy's hurt, you can't be upset that he's hurt and then try to give him some concessions."
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  It was like he was part of an anime. I don't... [laughs] Like, he was r- he was in his own show-
27. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... of, like... And there was rain in the background in his head.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  [laughs]
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  There was, like, rain in the background, and there's mud and there's sweat.
31:34 – 35:32
Aging, injuries, and why wrestling gets harder over time (Dricus vs. Khamzat as case study)
1. RWRobert Whittaker
  I think that's why you see a lot of, like, the older guys that, that weren't really taking advantage of wrestling-wise earlier in their career, but as they get older, they start, like, they start getting taken down, held down-
2. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah
3. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... beaten by decision or s- take, taken, uh, put on their back and kinda submitted there or kept there. And I think that's because... And I, I, I know this firsthand. I, I can still do it, because I've just been lucky, really, but... And genetically. Like, that, that's a thing. People don't realize. Like-
4. JRJoe Rogan
  100%
5. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... hard work, hard work is, will get you very, very far, but there is... Like, talent and genetics are a factor.
6. JRJoe Rogan
  100%
7. RWRobert Whittaker
  A huge factor.
8. JRJoe Rogan
  Jon Jones is the ultimate merging of talent and genetics.
9. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, y- yeah. Exactly.
10. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
11. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, you can't... If you were gonna build someone in a lab-
12. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah
13. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... it would come out Jon Jones, [laughs] man. 'Cause guy is-
14. JRJoe Rogan
  Talent, intelligence-
15. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
16. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and genes.
17. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
18. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, all those together.
19. RWRobert Whittaker
  He, he's, he's the perfect fighter.
20. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
21. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, the perfect fighter. But, uh, but yeah, I think as, like, as you get older, you, your knees, your joints start hurting. Injuries are more prevalent. You can't wrestle on the mats anymore as much as you used to. You don't have that mat time.
22. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
23. RWRobert Whittaker
  So that when you get in there with these younger guys, and they take you down, or they start pushing on the wrestling, you just, you, you're just not there for it.
24. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
25. RWRobert Whittaker
  You know what I mean? And I think, I also think that a big part of wrestling is what you do in the first second of the engagement, of the takedown. It's like how that fighting, like-
26. JRJoe Rogan
  Mm-hmm
27. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... that, that, that fight... That's why you see a lot of young fighters that aren't, don't have a huge pedigree in wrestling, but they get out of positions, they keep fighting, they work their way back up, 'cause they're fighting and fighting and fighting, which is another thing that kind of dims a little bit as you get older.
28. JRJoe Rogan
  Yes.
29. RWRobert Whittaker
  You know what I mean?
30. JRJoe Rogan
  I think there's also the protecting of your joints, right?
35:32 – 47:01
Entertainment vs. merit: UFC cuts, “boring” styles, and being a purist about winning
1. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, you know that dude who just got cut, Farid Bakhram?
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Undefeated.
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. Yes.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Undefeated-
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes
7. JRJoe Rogan
  ... got cut, and last time I talked to him was inside the octagon. It was the last fight of his career. He's like, "I m- " You know, when I was like, "I'm sure you're gonna get another contract." I, like, I think I said that to him in the octagon-
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
9. JRJoe Rogan
  ... 'cause he was saying it's his last fight.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Ooh.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  He's undefeated.
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Didn't age well.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  I, I don't like that. I don't like that thinking that you have to be uber exciting.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  He, he's got a brother as well. Right?
15. JRJoe Rogan
  I believe, and I'm not sure
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Is that the-
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Fareed Basharat, see if he has a brother
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... I think he's got a brother as well. If that's the, the-
19. JRJoe Rogan
  The guy's very skillful.
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
21. JRJoe Rogan
  ... obviously. He's undefeated, and they just decided that they didn't like his style. That-
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
23. SPSpeaker
  Javid. He's a PFL fighter.
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. Javid.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, he's a PFL fighter. Okay, that's why. Um, they just decided... I don't... I, okay, I'm talking out of school. I didn't talk to Dana or Sean Shelby or Mick Maynard.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  I don't know what happened. I, I don't know. Um, but I didn't like it. I don't like when a guy gets cut that wants to keep fighting-
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm
29. JRJoe Rogan
  ... in the UFC. He's undefeated. Just-
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  'Cause you think he's boring?
47:01 – 1:03:13
Nick Diaz wars, cardio as a lifestyle, and Anderson Silva’s prime vs. decline
1. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, Frank Shamrock had a fight with Nick Diaz in Strikeforce.
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  And he said after the fight, he goes, "It's so fucked up because this guy is talking shit to you, and y- you're like, 'I can't believe he's doing this. I can't believe he's talking shit to me.'"
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
5. JRJoe Rogan
  'Cause he's, h- he's Frank Shamrock.
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  He's a legend. He was a former UFC champion. Like, a real pioneer in terms of, like-
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
9. JRJoe Rogan
  ... a complete martial artist.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  He's, like, one of the very first-
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
13. JRJoe Rogan
  ... like, complete-
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  Stunning boots on. [laughs]
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah. Man, I mean, he did the pankration style when you're open slaps.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
17. JRJoe Rogan
  I mean, he was a real pioneer, so for him... And Nick Diaz's like, "What, bitch? What, bitch? What you gonna do, bitch?" And just popping him.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  And talking to him the... You don't get to breathe.
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  'Cause he's not hitting you full blast.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  He like, "Here, put some, put some vo- put some gloves on."
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  And he, and I love how he used to put h- put his hands down by his-
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... by his hips.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  And Tom Shamrock. Double right hand. He's just talking to him constantly. Nick's boxing skills, I think, are as good as any-
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  I, I've always been the biggest fan of his style.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, Nick has a crazy style.
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  It just looks s- so much fun. [laughs]
1:03:13 – 1:11:59
Training philosophy: skill work vs. fatigue, the “garage” cardio culture, and GSP/BJ Penn models
1. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, it's also, it's like he does those Sam Colavito workouts. Do you know those?
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  No.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Do you know what I'm talking about?
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  No.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Okay. So there's this guy who, uh, TJ Dillashaw credits with a, a lot of his strength and conditioning and the, the reason why he had such a crazy gas tank. And Aaron Pico, he trains with him. Khamzat trains with him.
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  He started, Khamzat started training with him fairly recently. But Sam Colavito, uh, he comes from a cycling background, and, you know, like real scientific approach to cardio.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  And these guys do these fucking insane cardio strength and conditioning workouts in a garage in California. So you got all these elite fighters in this, you know, middle class residential neighborhood. Guy fucking lifts up his garage door, and you got these assassins on your fucking driveway doing, [laughs] doing, like, whipping chains and shit, and doing all these crazy medicine ball workouts.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  See if you can find some of that.
12. SPSpeaker
  I'm looking for it.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  They call it the garage. That's just what it's called, the garage.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  And this garage is just filled with strength and cardio equipment. So they're all talking about it here.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Let me see if you can show some of the workouts. Is he gonna show it?
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  These guys are all, these guys are all cardio machines.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, and it's all in his... Okay, they're not... That's not good. But I know, uh, from Arman's YouTube channel, he had a bunch of it, where he was training with Khamzat at, uh, at Colavito's place.
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  Along with a bunch of, uh, Juan Archuleta was there. Juan, bu- bunch of, like, elite-
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm
23. JRJoe Rogan
  ... MMA fighters-
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm
25. JRJoe Rogan
  ... are there training, and it looks like hell. It looks like just complete, holy hell. Cub Swanson had a, an interesting take on it, though, 'cause Cub worked out there, too, and he said he feels like he had some of his worst performances when he did his cardio sessions there. And he thinks because it just takes too much out of you.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  Mm.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  He goes, "The guy just breaks you down too much."
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  He goes, "There's, like, a fine line, and I think he, he passes that line."
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  It's amazing, just, just in the street.
1:11:59 – 1:17:58
Gi training for MMA, defensive discipline, and ‘chokes as checkmate’
1. JRJoe Rogan
  In the gi. Really?
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  What, what is the benefit, you think, in the gi-
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  Oh, it's just-
5. JRJoe Rogan
  ... for MMA training?
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  Uh, it's... If you wanna learn jujitsu, it's... I'm a big believer in, in, in gi. I'm a big believer in gi. It's, uh... Obviously, it's different, but you can tran- A lot of gi guys can transi- can transition from gi to no-gi.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Mm-hmm.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  It's very hard the other way around.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  Yes.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  You know? So it's... And I think Damien Maia was a big believer in, in, in gi work.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, a lot of the Brazilians are.
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  It's a religion.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. [laughs]
15. JRJoe Rogan
  They, they... [laughs]
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  The gi is-
17. JRJoe Rogan
  For good reason. [laughs] Jujitsu's all about the gi, my friend. You need the gi.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. [laughs]
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Don't abandon the gi. Like, people got real mad. I don't know. You weren't around back then, the, the early days of gi, no-gi, right?
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  The early days. Like, when, when did you start training?
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Well, would, it would've been 2000... Like, for MMA?
23. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  It would've been, like, 2015.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Right. So in, like, 2001, 2002, 2000-ish-
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
27. JRJoe Rogan
  ... was when people started doing no-gi, and a lot of the Brazilians did not like it.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Yeah, no.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  They, they had a-
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  There's a lot that still don't like it. [laughs]
1:17:58 – 1:28:35
Grappling geniuses and body control: Craig Jones, Gordon Ryan, Rickson Gracie, and gymnastics crossover
1. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, same, same, just, just like MMA. There are guys that are, that, that are born gifted and talented for, for the craft. Like, uh, Craig Jones's a freak.
2. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, yeah. He is a freak.
3. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like, that guy. Like-
4. JRJoe Rogan
  He's a freak.
5. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
6. JRJoe Rogan
  But he's also a guy who loves jujitsu.
7. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yes, yes.
8. JRJoe Rogan
  He loves the game, and being skillful-
9. RWRobert Whittaker
  He's-
10. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and setting traps-
11. RWRobert Whittaker
  He's a nerd for it
12. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and catching people. Yeah.
13. RWRobert Whittaker
  He just, he loves seeing the different things, what works, what doesn't work. Like, i- he has, he has... His approach to it is so intellectual, but he's good enough to be able to implement it.
14. JRJoe Rogan
  And he's always having a good time.
15. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Right.
16. JRJoe Rogan
  He, he's, like, that's the thing, right?
17. RWRobert Whittaker
  He always looks like he's having a good time.
18. JRJoe Rogan
  He's having a blast.
19. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
20. JRJoe Rogan
  He's the funniest fucking guy in jujitsu by a long shot.
21. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
22. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, there's no one even... He, like, he's like a professional comedian.
23. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
24. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, he easily, if he retired from competing, could become a professional comic.
25. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
26. JRJoe Rogan
  I really believe that.
27. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
28. JRJoe Rogan
  The dude's hilarious.
29. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
30. JRJoe Rogan
  When he had that intergender fight with Gabi Garcia, [laughs] and he kissed her, and she got mad at him [laughs] He's so silly.
1:28:35 – 1:38:56
Electricity detour: Whittaker’s electrician apprenticeship, lightning videos, and taser resilience
1. JRJoe Rogan
  That's great. He must be some kind of a rock climber. That's freakish. Yeah, some of these d- what is this dude doing?
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] I know.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Hey, bro.
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  He, he-
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Are you trying to die?
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
7. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
8. JRJoe Rogan
  Are you trying to die? Do you understand electricity?
9. RWRobert Whittaker
  This, this [laughs] this video.
10. SPSpeaker
  No.
11. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
12. SPSpeaker
  Hold on that long.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Don't do that.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, no. [laughs]
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Kids at home, don't do that.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  No. That is terrible. [laughs]
17. JRJoe Rogan
  How can you do that and not die? Are those not power lines? Maybe the power's out. He took a chance.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Now's my time. [laughs]
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Maybe, maybe he did it properly and grounded himself, [laughs] and then went up there for the video.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  How the fuck do you ground yourself-
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
23. JRJoe Rogan
  ... like holding onto those? Just the... You ever heard like what it sounds like for those guys that have to work on those power lines?
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  You can just hear the zzz.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  You hear the zzz.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  And you just imagine the kind of power that's going through those fucking things.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah. Electricity's scary, isn't it?
29. JRJoe Rogan
  It's terrifying.
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  Like I was an electrician for a little bit.
1:38:56 – 1:46:26
Weight cutting realities: moving up in weight, dehydration limits, and ideas to reduce cuts
1. JRJoe Rogan
  How hard was it for you to stay at 170? Like, what was your 170 cut like?
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  Oh, it was nightmare-ish. It would-
3. JRJoe Rogan
  What, what did you start off at?
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  It's the sort of, it's the sort of thing... Obviously, when I started, when I was at 170, I was... I started when I was a teenager, so I started at 18, and then I went... I would think I was 170 until about 23, and it was just getting harder and harder. You know, as, as you age, you just get bigger and bigger. And I've, I've always been, like, a naturally he- heavy guy, heavyset guy. I think it's the, my Maori genes.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Mm-hmm.
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  The... And the last weight cut I did was 7.4 kilos on the day.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Ooh.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  So that's... How many pounds is that?
9. JRJoe Rogan
  16 pounds? 17 pounds? What is that?
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, 16. Yeah
11. JRJoe Rogan
  That's a lot. In one day?
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Uh, yeah, like morning of.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  It was-
15. JRJoe Rogan
  So that was... What year was this?
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  It sh- I would've been 24.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  24, so what? 2000-
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, so you had, like-
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  ... 2004
21. JRJoe Rogan
  ... great performances at welterweight, like, really promising performances, but for sure, when you went up to 85, that's when you became Robert Whittaker.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
23. JRJoe Rogan
  That's when you really became elite
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  For certain.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  For certain
27. JRJoe Rogan
  It's like you had found the sweet spot.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah
29. JRJoe Rogan
  And some people, there's that... The, the gaps are so enormous between weight classes, which I think is a real problem.
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yep
1:46:26 – 2:16:26
Pride-era heavyweights, steroids, and the nostalgia debate (plus modern tall striker prospects)
1. JRJoe Rogan
  He's the best, yeah. Ooh- Overeem, the Overeem days-
2. RWRobert Whittaker
  The Overeem
3. JRJoe Rogan
  ... is the best argument for keeping steroids in sports.
4. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
5. JRJoe Rogan
  It's like, come on. Don't you wanna see that again?
6. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, what are we doing? Like, the Pri- we were talking about this last night at the club.
8. RWRobert Whittaker
  Ah.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  The Pride days.
10. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  The Pride heavyweight days was the greatest heavyweight lineup in the history of the-
12. RWRobert Whittaker
  Right
13. JRJoe Rogan
  ... fucking sport.
14. RWRobert Whittaker
  And doesn't it seem like everyone was a heavyweight? [laughs]
15. JRJoe Rogan
  There were so many heavyweights, man.
16. RWRobert Whittaker
  Everyone.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Well, first of all, they would encourage you to gain weight.
18. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, uh, one of the guys from Eddie's gym, Jason Chambers, fought over there, and when he fought over there, they're like, "You should be 185." And he's like, "I, I don't, I'm not 185." And they're like, "You should get on steroids." Like [both laugh]
20. RWRobert Whittaker
  Tell him.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  Get on steroids.
22. RWRobert Whittaker
  It's like, we can make you. We can, we can make you 185.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  Enson Inoue, Enson Inoue, when he did the podcast, he told me very specifically that in the contract it said, in capital letters, "We do not test for steroids."
24. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs]
25. JRJoe Rogan
  It's like, in capital letters, like-
26. RWRobert Whittaker
  [laughs] Yeah
27. JRJoe Rogan
  ... we're all good.
28. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  Rock and roll.
30. RWRobert Whittaker
  Yeah, yeah. And you saw those fights.
2:16:26 – 2:16:33
Light heavyweight mindset shift, post-fight weight management, and Whittaker’s longevity app
1. JRJoe Rogan
  And we're back. Where were we? Okay, so we're talking about you training differently and fighting differently with bigger guys.

Episode duration: 2:48:55

Install uListen for AI-powered chat & search across the full episode — Get Full Transcript

Transcript of episode n4x-n8bNYhA

Get more out of YouTube videos.

Read along on your phone, search it beside the video, or ask your favorite AI app what was said.

iOS

Android

Claude

Chrome

ChatGPTComing soon

Intro

Comedy club firsts, family life, and balancing a fighter’s schedule

Aging “outliers” and why evasion styles last longer

Point fighting as an MMA “missing link” and Whittaker’s blitzing approach

Relaxed killers: Carlos Prates, fight psychology, and partying before bouts

“Touch of death” power, leg injuries, and breaking down Ulberg vs. Jiri

Aging, injuries, and why wrestling gets harder over time (Dricus vs. Khamzat as case study)

Entertainment vs. merit: UFC cuts, “boring” styles, and being a purist about winning

Nick Diaz wars, cardio as a lifestyle, and Anderson Silva’s prime vs. decline

Training philosophy: skill work vs. fatigue, the “garage” cardio culture, and GSP/BJ Penn models

Gi training for MMA, defensive discipline, and ‘chokes as checkmate’

Grappling geniuses and body control: Craig Jones, Gordon Ryan, Rickson Gracie, and gymnastics crossover

Electricity detour: Whittaker’s electrician apprenticeship, lightning videos, and taser resilience

Weight cutting realities: moving up in weight, dehydration limits, and ideas to reduce cuts

Pride-era heavyweights, steroids, and the nostalgia debate (plus modern tall striker prospects)

Light heavyweight mindset shift, post-fight weight management, and Whittaker’s longevity app

Get more out of YouTube videos.