Robert Whittaker Says 'End Is Near' For UFC Career Ahead Of de Ridder Fight

Robert Whittaker is only 34 years old and still a top 5-ranked UFC middleweight, but the former champion revealed he can see the finish line of his fighting career!

TMZ Sports spoke to Bobby Knuckles just days before his UFC on ABC 9 main event scrap against Reinier de Ridder -- slated to go down from Abu Dhabi on Saturday -- when we asked him for a State of the Union on his career.

"I definitely feel the tenure like that I've had. I've been blessed to have been in this game for so long, but I feel like I'm right at the point where I can see the end is near, but I have all the experience and the body still to do what needs to be done," Robert said.

"It's like the last sprint, you know, on a marathon."

Of course, Whittaker joined Dana White's MMA promotion as a young guy -- in his early 20s -- and he's proceeded to reach the top levels of the sport ... often sharing the cage with some of the greatest fighters in the world, including Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero, Dricus Du Plessis, and Paulo Costa, among others.

Despite being closer to the end than the start ... make no mistake, Robert has no imminent retirement plans -- but there are other things he wants to accomplish outside of the profession, which has made him a household name in the combat sports world.

"I'm looking at another couple of years. You know, there are other things I want to do, and fighting takes a lot," Whittaker told us.

"You have to sacrifice a lot for the game. And, yeah, there's other things I want to do still."

Make no mistake, though ... Whittaker is focused and ready to fight.

"I look to just get in fast, get my mitts on him. I know where I'm strong. You know, I know my strong suits. And I think I can make him very uncomfortable by attacking him the way that I do."

We also spoke to RDR, who's actually a couple of months older than RW, but he's only been in the UFC since 2024 ... and he's considered a rising star in the division.

De Ridder, ranked 14th at 185 lbs., recently handed the previously undefeated Bo Nickal the first loss of his career ... and he's pumped for the opportunity to beat the 5th-ranked fighter in Whittaker, and make a massive jump towards his ultimate goal -- becoming champ.