Rob Whittaker will return for his first fight in Sydney in over 12 years. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Jeff Botari)
Rob Whittaker will return for his first fight in Sydney in over 12 years. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Jeff Botari)
In short:
Rob Whittaker will have his first UFC fight in Sydney in 12 years when he faces Bogdan Guskov on February 7.
Whittaker is Australia's first UFC world champion and has recently gone up a weight class from middleweight to light-heavyweight.
What's next?
The 35-year-old will be hunting consecutive wins following a knockout victory over Nikita Krylov in July.
It has taken more than a decade, but Rob Whittaker, Australia's first-ever UFC champion, is finally coming home.
The UFC light-heavyweight has been confirmed for the promotion's next card in Sydney on February 7, where he will face Uzbekistan's Bogdan Guskov in his first hometown fight in over 12 years.
Whittaker can barely recall his last effort in the Harbour City, when he knocked out American Clint Hester in 2014.
It came so early in his career it was closer to his Padstow products days as a Railcorp electrician than a world champion.
"It's hard to remember, to be honest. So much has happened since. I've ridden the rollercoaster," said Whittaker.
Rob Whittaker last fought in Sydney in 2014. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Josh Hedges )
Rob Whittaker last fought in Sydney in 2014. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Josh Hedges )
"My friends and family can all be there. They can be a part of the whole journey without having to spend a billion bucks to be there.
"But I hope things settle down. I'm going to have to stop replying (to people asking for tickets).
"It'll be good to be home after so long. You normally have to travel so far to put on a show."
Putting on a show far and wide has been second nature for Whittaker during his long career with the UFC.
Since that night in Sydney, all but one of his UFC losses have come against future or reigning world champions, confirming his status as one of Australia's top combat sport exports.
The 35-year-old snuck in a few fights on home soil, but the last was in 2019 when he lost the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in Melbourne in front of over 57,000 fans, still the biggest crowd in UFC history.
The crowd won't quite be the same at the Sydney SuperDome for this card, headlined by rising Perth lightweight Quillin Salkilld's bout with Benoit St Denis, but Whittaker — a father of three sons and three daughters — is just happy he can take his kids to work.
Rob Whittaker recently broke a two-fight losing streak. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Ed Mulholland )
Rob Whittaker recently broke a two-fight losing streak. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Ed Mulholland )
"Last fight, my two eldest could come. This time it might be my three eldest. They loved it last time, and I loved having them be a part of it," said Whittaker.
"They get to see their old man work for a living. I'm sure half the time they think I'm unemployed.
"I love fighting. I don't think there's a cooler way to earn money if we want to keep it real basic, and I'm good at it as well. I'm earning a trade, and I'm going to keep doing it."
The fight will be Whittaker's second since moving from middleweight (83.91kg) to light-heavyweight (92.99kg).
After a third-round knockout win in his division debut over Nikita Krylov in July, he has plenty of confidence after snapping a two-fight losing streak.
Whittaker was wary of the power difference against bigger fighters, but after a strong start, where he left Krylov with a broken jaw, bigger has become beautiful.
Rob Whittaker has bulked up from middleweight to light-heavyweight. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Ed Mulholland )
Rob Whittaker has bulked up from middleweight to light-heavyweight. (Getty Images via Zuffa LLC: Ed Mulholland )
"I'm definitely more confident in my ability to zip and zag and my ability to land power, to be faster, to have the confidence to shoot when I feel it, to have confidence in my instincts again," said Whittaker.
"I can eat for fuel, I don't need to starve myself, and that makes living — especially with a family and heaps of kids — much more enjoyable.
"But it's a slippery slope, because after a fight I can get really stuck in.
"Light-heavyweight eating is different to middleweight eating, let me tell you."
Guskov has a strong track record with 15 knockouts from his 18 wins, but Whittaker is confident he has the experience to outpoint the 34-year-old.
"He's a big, rangy guy. He hits hard, he's finished a lot of people, but there's nothing he brings to the table that I haven't seen in my years in the game," said Whittaker.
"There's nothing he brings to the table I think I can't beat."