Robert Whiteford (born 12 April 1983) is a Scottish

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who is currently signed to

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

having spent a period of time in limbo due to contractual issues with ACB. Whiteford competed in

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division of

Absolute Championship Berkut Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, and was the first Scottish fighter to be signed by the promotion.

Career

Whiteford has a strong background in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

, he first began fighting for team "Hostile Territory" based out of "The Dojo" gym in

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where ...

. He then joined the Dinky Ninja Fight Team (DNFT) The Griphouse Gym, in Glasgow where he has remained a member of the team since. He now lives and trains in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no for ...

. He has also spent time training with "Sweden All Stars" in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. Whiteford made his professional debut in 2009 competing primarily for regional promotions across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

where he was able to compile a record of 10 - 1 before signing with the UFC in the fall of 2013. Whiteford was also a bronze medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Judo Championships in 2006 in the category of senior male under 73 kg.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Whiteford made his promotional debut on 26 October 2013, as a short notice replacement for an injured Mike Wilkinson and faced

Jimy Hettes James Michael Hettes (born June 9, 1987) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hettes is a 2-time Keystone State Games Judo Gold Medalist and earned the nickn ...

UFC Fight Night 30 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Hettes defeated Whiteford via submission (triangle choke) in the second round. Whiteford faced Daniel Pineda on 15 March 2014 at

UFC 171 ''UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held on March 15, 2014, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event was released on DVD on June 17, 2014. The DVD was distributed by '' Anchor Bay Entertai ...

. Whiteford defeated Pineda via unanimous decision. Whiteford was expected to face

Dennis Siver Dennis D. Siver (Russian: Дмитрий Сивер, tr. Dmitriy Siver, born January 13, 1979) is a Russian-born German mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

on 4 October 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 53 ''UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 53'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 4, 2014, at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Background This event was the third event that the UFC hosted in S ...

. However, Whiteford was forced out of the bout in mid-September with an injury and replaced by

Charles Rosa Charles Rosa (born August 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Charles is of Italian descent and, the son of Chucky and Mar ...

. Whiteford faced Paul Redmond on 18 July 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 18 July 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Whiteford faced

Darren Elkins Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he fights in the Featherweight division. Elkins is known for his toughness and comeback victories. Background Elkins was bor ...

on 24 October 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 76 ''UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 76'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 24, 2015, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event was the third that the organization has hosted in Dublin, ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Whiteford faced

Lucas Martins Lucas Martins (born 11 November 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of Brave Combat Federation, where he is a former interim lightweight champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2011, Ma ...

on 10 April 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 86 ''UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 86'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 10, 2016, at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. Whiteford lost the fight via split decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA

After three straight wins in

, Whiteford signed with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

. He made his promotional debut against

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, an ...

at Bellator London 2 on November 23, 2019. Despite being knocked down multiple times during the bout, Whiteford came back and knocked Sicilia out with only six seconds left in the final round. Whiteford faced Andrew Fisher on October 1, 2021 at Bellator 267. After being eye poked three times, Whiteford was unable to continue and the bout was called a no contest. Whiteford faced

Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. As of November 22, 2022, he i ...

on May 13, 2022 at

Bellator 281 ''Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley'' (also known as '' Bellator London'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 13, 2022, at SSE Arena in London, England. Background Yaroslav Amosov was to make his first ...

. He lost the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , NC , align=center, 16–4 (1) , Andrew Fisher , NC (accidental eye poke) , Bellator 267 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 ,

, KO (punches) , Bellator London 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:54 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Kane Mousah , Decision (split) , , ACB 87: Whiteford vs Mousah , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England , , - , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

Nam Phan Nhat Nam Si Phan (born March 13, 1983), better known as Nam Phan, is an American retired mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A professional in mixed martial arts since 2001, Phan has also competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, World Vi ...

, Technical Submission (front choke) , , ACB 54: Supersonic , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Kevin Petshi , Decision (unanimous) , , ACB 47: Braveheart: Young Eagles 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland , Catchweight (141 lb) bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Paul Redmond , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Daniel Pineda , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Technical Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Paul Reed , Decision (unanimous) , SFC: Reawakening , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Martin Svensson , TKO (punches) , Vision FC 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Carl Fawcett , Decision (majority) , Supremacy Fight Challenge 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Antanas Jazbutis , Decision (unanimous) , Vision FC 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Jonny Goodall , TKO (punches) , Headhunters MMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Liam James , Decision (unanimous) , , Supremacy Fight Challenge 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , David Galbraith , KO (punches) , On Top 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:22 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Chris Batty , Submission (punches) , AC 3: Revolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Rich Edgeworth , TKO (punches) , Hostile Territory 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Alan Duffy , TKO (punches) , AC 2: The Gathering , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 ,

, Scotland , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Bobby McVitie , TKO (doctor stoppage) , AC 1: Proving Ground , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Scotland , , -

References

External links

* *
Robert Whiteford - UFC Fans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteford, Robert Living people 1983 births Scottish male mixed martial artists People from Armadale, West Lothian Scottish male judoka Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Scottish Muay Thai practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters