Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is returning to fight in Australia for the first time in more than seven years, facing Bogdan Guskov in Sydney on 6 February 2027. The UFC Sydney card, hosted by the Afterpay Arena, will be Whittaker's second fight at light heavyweight. At UFC 329 the 35-year-old knocked out Nikita Krylov in the third round, joining the select group of fighters with knockouts in three different weight classes. He has lost only one of his six fights in Australia, against Israel Adesanya in front of 57,000 fans in 2019. It is a genuine homecoming: his last fight in Sydney came in 2014, when he knocked out Clint Hester in the second round. His winning light heavyweight debut also ended a two-fight losing run against Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder.
His opponent, Bogdan Guskov, put together four straight stoppage wins and a majority draw with Jan Blachowicz before Magomed Ankalaev stopped him in the fifth round in July. Among his victims along the way were Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann, both knocked out. The Sydney card will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Quillan Salkilld and Benoit Saint Denis.
