Robert Whittaker will fight in Sydney for the first time in more than 12 years after the UFC booked the former middleweight champion to face knockout artist Bogdan Guskov in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night Sydney on Sunday 7 February.
The light heavyweight bout will be held at Afterpay Arena, on a card headlined by West Australian lightweight Quillan Salkilld’s clash with France’s Benoit Saint-Denis, Fox Sports reported. The UFC first announced the Sydney event in late September.
“Fighting in Sydney again is a dream come true,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia on Monday.
“Especially after having to take the entire tribe across the world to The States.
“I’m in the veteran part of my career and I’m having fun with it. Being able to do it in front of my friends, fans and family is great.”
Read more: Quillan Salkilld to Headline UFC Fight Night Sydney vs Saint Denis
Whittaker’s light heavyweight push
Whittaker, 35, moved up to the 205-pound division in July and stopped veteran Nikita Krylov with a third-round knockout at UFC 329, snapping a two-fight losing streak, MMA Fighting reported. The outlet said the bout will be his first fight in Australia since he lost the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in 2019.
A dangerous opponent
Guskov (18-4-1) has finished all 18 of his professional wins, 15 of them by knockout, according to Fox Sports. The Uzbek fought former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw before being stopped in the fifth round by another former champion, Magomed Ankalaev, in July.
“They are all dangerous customers at light heavyweight,” Whittaker said.
“The idea is to be quick and nimble on my feet and hit him before he hits me.
“I know wholeheartedly I can beat everyone in the division.”
Whittaker said Guskov was not the first name raised for the Sydney fight. “His name wasn’t the first one that was thrown around. But his name came into the mix later and he was happy to fight,” he said.
‘A great time to be an Aussie’
The booking gives the February card two Australians at the top of the bill, and Whittaker pointed to a strong run for local fighters, including Alexander Volkanovski’s recent title defence and Tom Nolan’s win over Renato Moicano.
“How good is it to have headliners left right and centre!” Whittaker said. “It’s a great time to be an Aussie.”
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