Sydney based Robert Whittaker has been promoted to main event status for his upcoming bout with Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 101 in Melbourne.
Whittaker vs Brunson moves up from co-main event position after it was revealed that former champion Luke Rockhold suffered an injury in preparation for his bout against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Whittaker, a former TUF Smashes winner, will headline a UFC card for the first time as he searches for a way to keep his undefeated record at middleweight going.
The bout also moves from three to five rounds but that won’t be much of an issue for 25-year-old Whittaker.
“It’s not a problem,” Whittaker told UFC.com. “I always train for the long fights anyway.”
“I think I’m making a case for my title shot every time I step in that Octagon. That’s my mentality going into these fights. I go in there with the idea to bring excitement, to show that I’m legit about how I do this.”
Since moving up to the middleweight division in 2014, Whittaker has won four in a row to springboard into the top 10 divisional rankings.
“I think I’m making a case for my title shot every time I step in that Octagon,” Sydney’s Whittaker said. “That’s my mentality going into these fights. I go in there with the idea to bring excitement, to show that I’m legit about how I do this.”
His opponent, American Derek Brunson brings an equally impressive record into the bout having lost just once in his eight outings in the UFC. Brunson is coming off a first round stoppage over Uriah Hall back in September.
UFC Fight Night 101 takes place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on November 27.
Fight Card:
- Robert Whittaker vs. Derek Brunson
- Daniel Kelly vs. Chris Camozzi
- Jake Matthews vs. Andrew Holbrook
- Richard Walsh vs. Jonathan Meunier
- Kyle Noke vs. Omari Akhmedov
- Daniel Hooker vs. Jason Knight
- Ben Nguyen vs. Geane Herrera
- Damien Brown vs. Jon Tuck
- Alex Volkanovski vs. Yusuke Kasuya
- Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor
- Jenel Lausa vs. Zhikui Yao
