Was Robert Whittaker an electrician? Exploring 'The Reaper's' profession before he began his MMA journey

Robert Whittaker is one of the best middleweights in the world, having previously held both the interim and undisputed titles in the UFC 185-pound weight class. Despite no longer holding the strap, he remains a constant presence at the very top of the division, often being recognized as its second-best fighter.

However, 'The Reaper' wasn't always a mixed martial arts phenom. At one point, he was a layman, no more dangerous than any other pedestrian walking Australia's streets. In fact, he even had an ordinary job.

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Was Robert Whittaker an electrician?

Before the glitz and glamor and belts of championship gold, Robert Whittaker was an electrician. After completing his secondary education, Whittaker pursued an apprenticeship in electrical engineering, eventually finding work at RailCorp, a state agency in New South Wales, Australia, according to News Corp Australia.

One of RailCorp's industries was, as its name implied, rail infrastructure. However, it has dissolved in 2020. Whittaker eventually moved on from his work as an electrician, becoming one of the most skilled fighters in the UFC middleweight division, even capturing championships.

He had a legendary pair of battles with Yoel Romero, both of which 'The Reaper' won. Unfortunately, his stint as champion was short-lived, as he lost the divisional strap to Israel Adesanya, who knocked him out at UFC 248. Nevertheless, 'The Reaper' rebounded in impressive fashion, beating everyone else in the division.

For some time, it seemed that no one but Adesanya could defeat Whittaker. That, however, changed when the Australian phenom was handed a jaw-dropping loss by Dricus du Plessis, who TKO'd him at UFC 290. The South African went on to capture the UFC middleweight title.

This distinguishes Whittaker as a fighter who, at middleweight, has only ever lost to either current or former champions. He recently took on Brazilian bruiser, Paulo Costa, surviving a near-finish toward the end of round one to mount an impressive comeback for a unanimous decision win.

Now, 'The Reaper' is scheduled to take on undefeated Chechen, Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout at UFC on ABC 6, which will be the promotion's first card in Saudi Arabia.