Robert Whittaker vs. Bogdan Guskov Booked for UFC Sydney Co-Main Event

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is set to continue his run at light heavyweight against Bogdan Guskov in the co-main event of UFC Sydney on Feb. 6 at Afterpay Arena in Sydney, Australia. The promotion officially announced the booking on Thursday.

The bout marks Whittaker’s first appearance in his home country since losing his UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in 2019, as well as his first fight in Sydney since 2014. The 35-year-old Whittaker (27-9) recently made a successful move up to the 205-pound division, snapping a two-fight losing streak as he aims for one final title run to cap off his career. Following that victory, he currently sits at No. 12 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at light heavyweight.

Guskov (18-4-1) enters the matchup looking to bounce back from a rough outing in his most recent appearance. After being slated for a rematch against Jan Blachowicz at UFC Serbia, "Hitman" instead stepped in on short notice at UFC Abu Dhabi in July as a replacement for Khalil Rountree, where he suffered a fifth-round knockout loss in a largely one-sided bout against Magomed Ankalaev.

UFC Sydney will be headlined by Australia's Quillan Salkilld, who aims to move to 7-0 inside the Octagon against lightweight contender Benoit Saint Denis.