Robert Whittaker has called out Sean Strickland for a UFC White House showdown between two former UFC Middleweight Title holders.
Whittaker has confirmed he won’t be fighting on the rumoured UFC Sydney card in February, instead calling for a showdown with Strickland at UFC White House in June.
Robert Whittaker CALLS OUT Sean Strickland For UFC White House Bout
Former UFC middleweight king Robert Whittaker has called out another former 185-pound king for a showdown at UFC White House next summer.
Dana White confirmed the UFC White House card to celebrate 250 years of American independence, but no fights have been officially announced for the show as of yet.
President Donald Trump has mentioned numerous times his plans for UFC White House on the South Lawn, which is now officially set to take place on his birthday on Sunday, June 14 next year.
A whole host of big name fighters such as Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Ilia Topuria have expressed their interest in headlining the UFC White House card.
Several other fighters have publicised their interest in being part of the card, which is exactly what Robert Whittaker has now done too.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion has called out controversial American fighter Sean Strickland for a 185-pound showdown at the White House next summer.
Whittaker has fought literally everyone there is to fight in the middleweight rankings apart from Strickland. ‘Bobby Knuckles’ may have dropped to #9 in the UFC rankings, but is eying a UFC White House showdown with the #3 ranked Strickland.
Whittaker called Strickland out for a UFC Sydney showdown just last month, but has since changed his mind with a desire to fight on the upcoming UFC White House card instead of a homecoming bout in Australia.
🚨 Robert Whittaker says he won't be fighting on the rumored UFC Sydney card in February, and wants to fight Sean Strickland at the White House instead 👀
🎥 @MainEventTV pic.twitter.com/L0AnDgfMwf
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 22, 2025
Robert Whittaker Wants Sean Strickland At UFC White House Instead Of UFC Sydney Homecoming
Although originally born in New Zealand, Robert Whittaker lives in Sydney, Australia with his family. He moved there when he was just one month old and has resided in Oz ever since.
Whittaker’s wife and he have build their life in Australia, with ‘The Reaper’ becoming the first Australian UFC Champion in history back in 2017.
As previously mentioned, Whittaker had expressed an interest in headlining UFC Sydney early next year against Sean Strickland, but has since changed his mind about where he wants that fight to take place.
Now, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ wants to fight his fellow former UFC Middleweight Champion at the White House next June instead.
With Strickland an all-American man and an incredibly proud US fighter, the fight actually makes total sense. Although it won’t be the main event, it would certainly be an intriguing fight for the UFC White House main card.
Strickland is set to return to action in the first six months of next year, and a showdown with Whittaker on the South Lawn is a perfect fight. It makes total sense for both men and would help sell the event ten-fold.
This does mean however that Whittaker has turned his back on a homecoming at UFC Sydney in February. Although unconfirmed, UFC Sydney has been rumoured to take place in February, with Whittaker no longer interested in fighting ‘Tarzan’ on it.
Instead, UFC Sydney could be headlined by UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. Nobody knows who will headline UFC White House on June 14 as of yet, but Whittaker vs Strickland is certainly a fight that makes sense for the undercard.
