Currently on location “Down Under,” Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is looking ahead to its upcoming middleweight title fight between reigning 185-pound titleholder, Robert Whittaker, and top division contender, Kelvin Gastelum, who recently finished their assignments as opposing coaches on season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
They’re currently scheduled to hook ‘em up in the UFC 234 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, going down Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019 inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The fight card will air live on Saturday night (Feb. 9) in most markets due to the discrepancy in time zones.
Whittaker (20-4) was named middleweight champion when Georges St-Pierre skipped town in late 2017 (more on that here). After battling a gnarly Staph infection, “The Reaper” returned to action and made his first title defense against Yoel Romero, who also fell to the Aussie when they threw hands for the interim strap at UFC 213.
As for Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC), the former welterweight contender cemented his place atop the 185-pound leaderboard with a split-decision win over Ronaldo Souza back in May. Turning away “Jacare” marked his second straight victory after stiffening Michael Bisping at UFC Shanghai the previous November.
Also competing at UFC 234 is red-hot middleweight sensation Israel Adesanya, who will look to continue his march toward the 185-pound crown by locking horns with former division kingpin and one of the greatest strikers the weight class has ever seen, Anderson Silva.
Electric!
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