Robert Whittaker Set for Hometown Return Against Bogdan Guskov at UFC Sydney

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is set to return to home soil to continue his campaign at light heavyweight. The promotion has officially confirmed that the Australian fan favourite will square off against Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1) on February 6 at the Afterpay Arena in Sydney.

This marks Whittaker's first bout on Australian territory since 2019, when he dropped the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243. The veteran has not competed in his hometown of Sydney since 2014.

The 35-year-old Whittaker (27-9) made an emphatic light heavyweight debut at UFC 329, stopping division mainstay Nikita Krylov via third-round knockout. The victory halted a two-fight skid and signaled his intentions to make a late-career title push in a new division.

Guskov, nicknamed "Hitman," will be looking to bounce back following a bruising defeat in his last outing. He was originally slated for a rematch against Jan Blachowicz at UFC Serbia, but stepped up on short notice a week earlier at UFC Abu Dhabi to replace the injured Khalil Rountree Jr. against Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev dominated the contest before securing a fifth-round knockout.

The UFC Sydney fight card is set to be headlined by a clash between Australia's Quillan Salkilld and Benoit Saint-Denis.