Whittaker should defend belt against Gastelum at UFC 234

R. Whittaker (left) and K. Gastelum (right) face each other in February. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @robwhittakermma

Robert whittaker will have the chance to defend the middleweight belt against Kelvin Gastelum in his native country. In an interview with the website of the North American channel ESPN, UFC president Dana White announced that he plans to hold the fight on February 9th in Melbourne, Australia.

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The two fighters were scheduled to be the coaches of TUF 28. However, after the start of the reality show, the Australian had to undergo surgery to heal an injury to his hand, which he suffered during the second confrontation with Yoel romero in June this year. Thus the duel for the title was discarded in 2018.

Robert whittaker won the interim middleweight belt by beating Romero at UFC 213. With the departure of the division's lineal champion Georges St-Pierre, the Australian took the title in 2017. His first defense would be against Yoel at UFC 225 in June, but as he Didn't make weight for the category, the fight wasn't worth the title.

Kelvin Gastelum comes from two victories over Michael Bisping e Ronaldo Jacare. He currently occupies fourth place in the middleweight rankings. However, he managed to overtake Romero, Chris Weidman e Luke Rockhold and will be the next challenger for the title. With a record of 28 fights, the North American has 15 triumphs and three setbacks.

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