MELBOURNE, Australia – After upsetting Derek Brunson in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 101, Robert Whittaker’s only demand is that he moves up the middleweight ladder to fight those who will get him a title shot.

But he likes the idea of facing another surging fighter, Gegard Mousasi.

“He’s a top athlete, he’s a top fighter, and he’s a cool dude,” Whittaker said at the event’s post-fight news conference at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. “If that’s a fight the UFC wants, that’s a fight they’ll get.”

One week ago, Mousasi notched his fourth straight win in the middleweight division by avenging a loss to Uriah Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at UFC Fight Night 100. He subsequently asked for an opponent who would get him a title shot, which puts him in the same boat as Whittaker.

Going into UFC Fight Night 101, it was understood that Brunson (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was on the cusp of a title eliminator with five straight wins. After an early swarm against Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), however, he carelessly chased a finish and wound up getting countered with several shots that forced a stoppage for Whittaker in the first round.

“It’s funny, because I actually remember in the fight as I was backing away, I was thinking, does he think he rocked me? I wasn’t rocked,” Whittaker, No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, told MMAjunkie. “I was still in it. A lot of people were critical of his game plan charging forward, but ask the last four dudes. He takes you out of it.”

Whittaker now owns a six-fight winning streak and estimates he “made the whole middleweight division notice me a little bit.” Currently, Yoel Romero is the No. 1 contender and is expected to fight champ Michael Bisping, possibly at UFC 208.

Then, a bevy of top middleweights lie in wait, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Mousasi, and ex-champ Luke Rockhold among them.

“I think they understand I’m for real and I’m here to stay,” Whittaker said. “This is my run.”

With his wife expecting a child in three weeks, Whittaker is targeting some family time before he gets back into the gym. But after that, he said he’ll be ready for whoever the UFC offers.

“I just want to move up. I want to take these hard fights, and fight these tough dudes and eventually fight for the belt. If I’m healthy and I’m ready, I’ll fight anywhere, any time.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 101, check out the UFC Events section of the site.