Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker is gearing up to take on the Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa at UFC 298. Whittaker has been on an absolute roll until his recent loss against the newly crowned UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis.

‘The Reaper’ is probably one of the best fighters in the division and has been for a while. Despite Whittaker’s massive rise in the sport, many are confused about the ethnicity of the former middleweight champion.

Robert Whittaker’s ethnicity and nationality

Robert Whittaker was born on the 20th of December 1990 in Ōtâhuhu, Auckland, New Zealand. He was born to an Anglo-Australian father Jack Whittaker, and a Mouri-Samoan mother Jewel Whittaker.

Despite “Bobby Knuckles” being born in New Zealand, he rocks the Australian flag when he goes fight inside the UFC octagon. However, this doesn’t mean that he has abandoned his Mauri heritage, as he has a tattoo on his arm paying homage to his Samoan ancestry.

Trending

Joe Rogan Wants to Make MMA Difficult After Dana White Told to Remove Cage From UFC Fights – “Better if It Was Like a Basketball Court”

May 16, 2024 05:03 PM EDT

‘No Girlfriend or Wife’ – Joe Rogan and Royce Gracie Reveal the Real Reason Behind Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Dagestani Teammates’ Secret to Success

May 16, 2024 10:11 AM EDT

Having Roughed Up Joe Rogan Under the Influence, Mark Coleman Finally Comes Clean on Infamous Moment

May 17, 2024 11:15 AM EDT

Gordon Ryan Reacts as Royce Gracie Makes an Unexpected Confession on Him to Joe Rogan – “You Say You’re Good, I Say I’m Good”

May 17, 2024 10:45 AM EDT

“We’re Really Doomed” – Joe Rogan Lays Bare Truth Behind Northern Lights Just Days After Solar Storms Leave the World in Awe

May 15, 2024 08:37 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Robert Whittaker and his father moved to Australia from New Zealand when he was 10 years old, which led to him being raised by his father, Jack Whittaker, as a single parent. Some of you might even remember former middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya questioning Whittaker’s ethnicity leading up to their fight for the middleweight title.

However, regardless of what anyone says about his ethnicity and nationality, ‘The Reaper’ seems least bothered by it. This is probably because Whittaker is secure enough about where he comes from and what he represents. Whittaker is proud of rocking the Australian flag but also has a deep love for New Zealand given his Polynesian roots.

When rival Israel Adesanya questioned the ethnicity of “Bobby Knuckles”

Despite now knowing and admitting that he was wrong about stripping Robert Whittaker’s heritage and ethnicity in the buildup to the fight, the former UFC middleweight champion once had some nasty things to say about Robert Whittaker. It all happened during the buildup to their fight at UFC 248, where Israel Adesanya, the UFC interim middleweight champion at the time set out to fight the undisputed middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

Watch This Story: What Is Dana White’s Diet Plan? What Helped UFC CEO Achieve His Transformation 

Both Adesanya and Whittaker share an interesting relationship with New Zealand, as Whittaker left the country when he was young. And Adesanya moved to the country from Nigeria. This led Adesanya to call himself more Kiwi than “Bobby Knuckles”. Even going as far as to call him a “Mozzie” which is slang for Mauri Australian.

However, Adesanya came out and apologized to Whittaker, admitting that he was wrong to joke about his ethnicity during the build-up.

Also Read: Who Is Robert Whittaker’s Wife Sofia? How Many Kids Does He Have? All We Know About Ex-UFC Champ’s Family