Two things stand out in the UFC's middleweight rankings: the division's depth and age.
Behind 37-year-old champion Michael Bisping sit Yoel Romero (39), former champ Luke Rockhold (32), Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (36) and former belt holder Chris Weidman (32, with a robust injury history).
The glaring exception is Robert Whittaker. The New Zealand-born, Australia-raised striker is 25, six years younger than anyone else in the top 10.
"I'm doing my own journey," Whittaker said. "I'm increasing my skill sets. I'm surrounding myself with good people, and I'm enjoying the journey. I'm just scratching the surface of what I can be and what I can accomplish."
The immediate obstacle standing in Whittaker's path is 32-year-old Derek Brunson (16-3) in the main event of UFC Melbourne on Saturday (which airs live on Sunday afternoon in Australia).
Fresh off a first-round TKO of Uriah Hall in September, Brunson has won five consecutive fights, the last four of which were first-round knockouts.
"He's a killer athlete with a serious set of skills," said Whittaker (16-4), who himself beat Hall at UFC 193 in Melbourne. "But if we're standing up, we're fighting my fight.
"If he wants to try to test out his killer power against my hands, then I'm willing to take that bet."
Following that advice at a window would net a plus-125 return for Whittaker, a slight underdog. But it's a familiar position since his move to middleweight. In four career fights at 185 pounds -- a weight at which he's 4-0 -- Whittaker's opponent has been favored three times.
The primary deterrent for moving up in weight is sacrificing reach and strength to a larger class of opponent.
"The Reaper" overcame a reach disadvantage in all four fights since leaving welterweight and will yield four inches to Brunson. Whittaker says his game is based on leverage and technique, and that he hasn't felt a discernable power difference at middleweight, rather the added energy in preparation has born fruit in the Octagon.
"I was killing myself trying to get to the 170 division," he said, laughing. "A lot people say I look small, but I'm a thick-set dude. I blame the Polynesian blood in me.
"The whole fight prep, I'm eating and I'm fueling my body instead of skipping out on the food and coming in half-starved to training every day."
While added pounds haven't hurt Whittaker's performance, Saturday will reveal how he handles a brighter spotlight.
The originally scheduled headliner between middleweight contenders Rockhold and Jacare was scrapped when Rockhold suffered a left knee injury. That promoted the previous co-main, Whittaker vs. Brunson, to a five-round main event, a first for either fighter in the UFC.
Whittaker says a longer fight would favor him. And though he expressed disappointment in the Rockhold-Souza cancellation as a fan, he can't deny the benefit for his name to lead the marquee at Rod Laver Arena.
"To be the main event on any UFC card is an honor and a privilege," he said. "To main event in my home country on a UFC card is a milestone. I truly take it as a milestone. At the beginning of my journey, I said one day I wanted to do this. Now I'm doing it."
Whittaker represents the modern breed of mixed martial artist. Instead of a decorated wrestler needing to learn how to strike or a traditional boxer struggling to master the ground game, he's blended multiple practices from early in his youth.
He began training in karate at age 7, then transitioned to hapkido under Henrry Perez, still his coach at PMA Mixed Martial Arts in suburban Sydney. After earning a black belt in both, Whittaker took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has since graduated to a purple belt. He made his pro debut at 18.
Whittaker entered the UFC conscience by winning the welterweight tournament of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. His quarterfinal victory earned knockout of the season, and his unanimous decision win in the finale over Brad Scott locked up a contract with the promotion five days before his 22nd birthday.
"I started for fun, I got the fever, and here I am today," Whittaker said. "I'm going to enjoy every step of it. Where it leads me is up to fate. I think there are going to be big things.
"There is no ceiling for me at the moment. I really believe that. And I'm in no rush."
