Whittaker Eyes Ankalaev Next After Light Heavyweight Move

Robert Whittaker wants Magomed Ankalaev for his next fight at light heavyweight but has no interest in running back his win over Paulo Costa.

Whittaker, who moved up from middleweight after consecutive losses, told the Believe You Me podcast that Ankalaev tops his list following the Russian's win over Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi last month, per Sherdog. Jan Blachowicz would have been another option before his recent loss to Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade.

Whittaker Rules Out Teammates At 205

The Australian also made clear he will not fight City Kickboxing teammates Stirling or current champion Carlos Ulberg. "I'd love to get in there with like Ank," Whittaker said. "People keep throwing the name Costa out there, but I've fought him before; there's a lot of other guys out there. 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 and now Nav, I'm sure we can all sit down and find a way to get paid."

Whittaker stopped Costa at middleweight in 2024, which explains his reluctance to revisit that matchup despite the Brazilian's recent momentum. Stirling has echoed the same stance on avoiding gym wars at their Auckland camp.

Whittaker is 27-9 after knocking out Nikita Krylov at UFC 329 in his light heavyweight debut.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Robert Whittaker eyes Magomed Ankalaev next, dismisses Paulo Costa rematch