Robert Whittaker will look to prove his credentials as the next title challenger in the middleweight pision when he takes on Khamzat Chimaev at the inaugural UFC event in Saudi Arabia.
‘The Reaper’ will take on the towering undefeated star in a main event bout on Sunday 23 June (AEST) with the winner secured as the number one contender for the belt currently held by Dricus du Plessis.
Who will Robert Whittaker fight next?
The same day that UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the promotion would return to Whittaker’s native Australia to UFC 305The former champion’s next opponent was also revealed.
Amid the scramble for potential fights in Perth, Whittaker was seen as a prime candidate to be on the card following his impressive victory over Paulo Costa last month.
However, the idea that he would finally appear on a roster in Western Australia, a place where he has had two fights canceled in the past, was quickly extinguished with the announcement of his meeting with Chimaev.
“We are going to Saudi Arabia for our first fight in the Kingdom with a Fight Night,” White said on social media.
“The main event will be former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker against Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) to see who will be the number one contender for the UFC middleweight championship.”
BOOOOOOOM!!!!!
UFC heads to Saudi Arabia for the first time with a BAD ASS card, headlined by Whittaker vs Chimaev LIVE and FREE on ABC on June 22. pic.twitter.com/2OZW2AEmLH
– danawhite (@danawhite) March 28, 2024
Chimaev saw his rise to the top of the sport slow slightly last year when he entered the octagon just once due to injury and illness.
However, in that appearance against former champion Kamaru Usman, the 29-year-old emerged with a majority decision victory.
Whittaker currently trails Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya as the third-ranked contender in the pision.
UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia: Who else is fighting?
Before Whittaker and Chimaev meet in a title eliminator, there will also be plenty of other intriguing fights to enjoy.
In the co-main event, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov will go toe-to-toe with Pavlovich hoping to bounce back and win after brutally losing an interim title fight to Tom Aspinall in UFC 295.
Elsewhere, Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez will meet in a welterweight showdown, while Johnny Walker will take on Volkan Oezdemir.