Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux
Middleweight3 rounds scheduled
WIN
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
“The Reaper”
27-9-0
RESULT

Robert Whittaker def. Rafael Natal (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
“Sapo”
21-9-1
Saturday, April 23, 2016
MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, United States

Robert Whittaker defeated Rafael Natal by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux, held Saturday, April 23, 2016 at MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas.

Fight stats

Robert Whittaker
Rafael Natal
0
Knockdowns
0
89 of 176
Significant strikes
62 of 137
51%
Sig. strike accuracy
45%
92 of 179
Total strikes
63 of 138
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 4
—
Takedown accuracy
0%
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:02
Control time
0:00
Significant strikes by target
51 of 129
Head
36 of 95
10 of 11
Body
4 of 15
28 of 36
Leg
22 of 27
83 of 166
Distance
61 of 135
2 of 4
Clinch
1 of 2
4 of 6
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
23 of 51
Sig. str.
22 of 48
23 of 51
Total str.
23 of 49
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:02
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
31 of 61
Sig. str.
21 of 46
33 of 63
Total str.
21 of 46
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 2
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
35 of 64
Sig. str.
19 of 43
36 of 65
Total str.
19 of 43
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00

Judges' Scorecards

Derek Cleary
#WhittakerNatal
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
Chris Lee
#WhittakerNatal
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
Patricia Morse Jarman
#WhittakerNatal
1109
2910
3109
Total2928

Media Scores

22
Whittaker
–
0
Natal
●30–27 Whittaker×16●29–28 Whittaker×6
All 22 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

100%
Whittaker
0%
Natal
60 fan scorecards submitted
●30–27 Whittaker81.7%●29–28 Whittaker16.7%●30–26 Whittaker1.7%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
100%
Whittaker
R2
83%
Whittaker
R3
98%
Whittaker

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Referee
John McCarthy
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Tale of the Tape

27-9-0
Record
21-9-1
0
Win Streak
0
35
Age
43
6'0"
183 cm
Height
6'0"
183 cm
73"
185 cm
Reach
77"
196 cm
—
Stance
—
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
—
Nationality
—

Striking Profile

4.39
SLpM
3.10
43%
Str. Acc.
47%
3.36
SApM
2.48
—
Str. Def.
—

Grappling Profile

0.73
TD Avg.
2.55
38%
TD Acc.
34%
82%
TD Def.
77%
—
Sub. Avg.
—

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Robert Whittaker · 2-3
  • L
    Reinier de Ridder
    UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De RidderSat, Jul 26, 2025
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Khamzat Chimaev
    UFC 308: Topuria vs HollowaySat, Oct 26, 2024
    Submission · R1 · 3:34 · Middleweight
  • W
    Ikram Aliskerov
    UFC Saudi ArabiaSat, Jun 22, 2024
    TKO · R1 · 1:49 · Middleweight
  • W
    Paulo Costa
    UFC 298: Volkanovski vs TopuriaSat, Feb 17, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Dricus Du Plessis
    UFC 290: Volkanovski vs RodriguezSat, Jul 8, 2023
    TKO · R2 · 2:23 · Middleweight
Rafael Natal · 2-3
  • L
    Eryk Anders
    UFC Fight Night: Weidman vs GastelumSun, Jul 23, 2017
    TKO · R1 · 2:54 · Middleweight
  • L
    Tim Boetsch
    UFC 205: Alvarez vs McGregorSun, Nov 13, 2016
    TKO · R1 · 3:22 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Whittaker
    UFC 197: Jones vs Saint PreuxSat, Apr 23, 2016
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Kevin Casey
    UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs BaderSun, Jan 31, 2016
    TKO · R3 · 3:37 · Middleweight
  • W
    Uriah Hall
    UFC 187: Johnson vs CormierSat, May 23, 2015
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 24 fights · 17 fights
59.8
Avg sig. strikes
38.6
0.67
Avg takedowns
2.12
1:07
Avg control time
3:09
150
Career high strikes
73
4
Career high TDs
8

Strike Distribution

Robert Whittaker
Strike target
Rafael Natal
71%
Head
58%
11%
Body
14%
19%
Leg
28%
Robert Whittaker
Strike position
Rafael Natal
86%
Distance
66%
7%
Clinch
12%
7%
Ground
22%