Robert Whittaker Names Jon Jones Best P4P, Shares UFC Dream Fight, Reveals How Sean Strickland Can Beat Dricus Du Plessis

Robert Whittaker says his pound-for-pound best UFC fighter will always be Jon Jones.

The No. 3 middleweight has also delivered a dream fight that he, as well as many MMA fans, would like to see in the near future.

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Australian Whittaker takes on Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 308 on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.

The former UFC middleweight champion won his last Octagon appearance over Ikram Aliskerov in June and is looking for a title shot for his next bout.

“Pound for pound? That’s hard to say,” said Whittaker, speaking to talkSPORT.com.

“My pound for pound is always the same, it’s always Jon Jones. He’s always one.

“Pound for pound to me is you put him and anybody else in a room and who’s going to leave? Right.”

Whittaker emerged in the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2012. He originally started as a welterweight before moving up to 185 pounds in 2014.

He earned interim middleweight championship status after defeating Yoel Romero at UFC 213, before defeating the American again just three months later.

“The Reaper” was then set to fight the winner of Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 to unify the belt.

But St Pierre pulled out after submitting the British champion and subsequently relinquished the belt.

This meant that Whittaker was crowned the undisputed UFC middleweight champion, but his second fight with Romero was a non-title fight as his opponent missed weight.

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He was then knocked out by the interim champion Israel Adesanya in his home country at UFC 243 in February 2022 in front of a record 57,127 spectators.

“I’d love to see (Tom) Aspinall and (Jon) Jones,” Whittaker added.

“I don’t think we will see it, but I want to see it. I think Jones fights Stipe (Miocic) and then hangs (the gloves).

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his belt against Miocic at Madison Square Garden on November 17.

Aspinall is the current interim heavyweight champion and support fighter for the main event clash, but rumors say Jones will retire after his fight in New York.

Dricus Du Plessis is the UFC middleweight champion and will defend his title against #1 contender Sean Strickland, the man he originally beat to claim the belt.

Whittaker shared his thoughts on Du Plessis’ unorthodox style and how the pair will fare in their title rematch.

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“Strickland has to do something very different (to beat Du Plessis), which I don’t know if he can because that’s not how he fights,” he said.

“He (Du Plessis) is beating them all, I mean he beat me. Even when I was there I thought it was cumbersome and slow and awkward, and then he puts his hands on you and hits hard.

“Maybe this is all part of the method to his madness. Whatever he does, it’s effective and it works. He’s tough as nails, so you have to respect his style and approach him.”

Elsewhere at UFC 308, Ilia Topuria defends his featherweight title for the first time against Max Holloway.

Holloway is coming off an incredible victory at UFC 300, where he knocked out Justin Gaethje with one second on the clock in their five-round bout.

Topuria has vowed to be the first man to KO ‘Blessed’ in his main event in the UAE.

“It’s very hard to say (who will win),” Whittaker said of the main event.

“Max is one of those guys who is very … on paper It’s very hard to see him lose, but then you look at Topuria’s skill set.

“He should be one of the guys with the highest skill levels across the board in various martial arts, so I’m really curious to see how he goes.”

UK fans won’t have to stay up late for the main event card as live coverage starts from 5pm in Abu Dhabi.

You can watch the event live at the TNT Sports box office on Sunday, October 26.