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Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker returns to the Octagon on February 6 to face Bogdan Guskov in the co-main event of UFC Sydney. The bout takes place at the Afterpay Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, as announced by the UFC.
Back At Home
For Robert Whittaker, the event marks his first fight in his hometown since 2014, when he defeated Clint Hester via TKO in the second round before rising to championship contention. Whittaker built a large following after winning The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes by beating Bradley Scott in the finale, later moving up to the middleweight division in 2014. After securing victories over Derek Brunson and Jacaré Souza, he defeated Yoel Romero for the interim title and was later promoted to undisputed champion following Georges St.Pierre’s retirement. Whittaker defended his title against Israel Adesanya in Melbourne, losing by first-round knockout, and later faced defeats against Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev before moving to light-heavyweight earlier this year to defeat Nikita Krylov via TKO in the third round.
Looking To Bounce Back
Bogdan Guskov began his professional MMA career in Russia in 2015 and competed in various promotions before signing with MMA Series in 2022, eventually earning a UFC call-up to debut against Volkan Oezdemir in Paris. Although he lost that debut by submission, he secured knockout victories against Zac Pauga, Ryan Spann, and Billy Elekana, followed by a first-round knockout win over Nikita Krylov. After a draw against Jan Blachowicz, Guskov stepped in on short notice to face Magomed Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi, where he lost by TKO in the fifth round before securing his matchup against Robert Whittaker.
UFC Sydney Matchups
The event features Quillan Salkilld facing Benoît Saint Denis, Bogdan Guskov taking on Robert Whittaker, and Marwan Rahiki meeting JooSang Yoo.
