For a fighter who had spent a better part of his career in mixed martial arts under the UFC banner, receiving a slot on the preliminary card of an event, particularly as a former middleweight champion, was already adding to the frustration. But nothing had prepared Robert Whittaker for what transpired inside the cage at UFC 329, as he took Nikita Krylov apart via third-round TKO in a bout that marked his light heavyweight debut.

What may have added further insult to the injury was that the commentary desk, including Joe Rogan and others, reportedly called out Robert Whittaker for looking fat. Viewed by many as body shaming, the remarks promptly gained traction. When asked about the issue, Whittaker offered a scathing critique of those who questioned his fitness.

“But are we going to talk about the elephant in the room? The commentary calling me fat, talking about my weight? Did I look that out of shape?” he told Ariel Helwani during a recent interview.

Puzzled by the comments, the Canadian journalist, who recently won the World MMA Award for the sixteenth time, wondered if Daniel Cormier was the culprit, to which Whittaker responded, saying, “I had abs the day before; I just had some salt bloat going on. I definitely think I started a bit hard—I had to work into the warm-up, and the nerves made things go differently in the first round. I found my rhythm as the fight progressed!”

While the former middleweight champion responded with laughter, the frustration in his words was visible. Much of it centered around the comments made by Joe Rogan, who continued to point to Whittaker’s physique. In Round 1, he appeared to call the former champion’s body “soft” and “puffy” before adding that he was carrying too much “fat” on his body and needed better conditioning in the second round.

Later, Rogan seemingly continued pressing the point that Whittaker had to “dial in his weight” if he wanted to extend his tenure in the light heavyweight division.

It is worth noting that Whittaker likely looked bigger because he made a drastic move across weight classes. A fighter whose career had largely been confined to 185 pounds was now switching over to 205 pounds. For him to look bulkier, then, makes perfect sense.

Despite being a former UFC middleweight champion making his long-awaited light heavyweight debut, Whittaker found himself competing on the preliminary card for the first time in over a decade. Still, he also found himself having to hear comments that appeared to question his fitness.

Rogan similarly criticized MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko back in 2011. On his podcast, Rogan asserted that Fedor was too “fat” to fight the modern generation of heavyweights, stating that elite fighters cannot afford to “come in fat” or “roll around at 230” lbs without keeping up with contemporary training standards.

What may come as a surprise, though, to many is that Rogan has, on several occasions, supported Robert Whittaker throughout his UFC journey.

Beyond Rogan’s remarks: What’s next for Robert Whittaker

Seven years ago, when he lost his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243, Rogan was among the first to heap praises on the Australian fighter.

“This is a master class in humility and composure,” he said. “(Robert Whittaker) put it all on the line and came up short, but his response to the loss shows what kind of a man he is. Still absolutely one of the best fighters on earth and handled the loss as well as anyone ever has. RESPECT!”

At the same time, Joe Rogan has also gone public with the claim that “fat shaming works.” Beyond the commentary, the UFC color commentator has stated on his podcast that he believes in being brutally honest about issues related to being overweight. Rogan reportedly views that kind of negative shaming as a step toward motivating people to lose weight, however.

Viewed in that context, times have really changed for Whittaker, who is now anticipating a shot at a 205-pound title.

With Alex Pereira now trying his hand at heavyweight, the light heavyweight division currently finds itself in a bind that features a string of prominent names competing against each other for the championship. In that mix, after the statement win over Krylov, Whittaker believes he could be just one fight short of earning a shot at the LHW belt.

The former champion, meanwhile, finds himself staring at a future in which he realizes he may not have much time left in the UFC. At age 35 (he turns 36 this December), Whittaker is well aware that time is ticking. While he has no plans to retire immediately, as he spoke with Helwani, the former champion envisioned at least three more fights before eventually reaching the closing stages of his MMA career.

If that is the case, then there is a good chance Joe Rogan and the rest of the commentary are going to see more of Robert Whittaker. The big question is this: if the Australian once again earns an emphatic win, will their criticism of his physique still continue, or will it finally cease?