Former Champion Robert Whittaker Co-Headlines at Home in Sydney

November 2, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to the Octagon on February 6, facing Bogdan Guskov at the co-main event of UFC Sydney. The matchup will take place at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena, marking Whittaker’s first fight in his hometown since 2014, when he defeated Clint Hester via TKO in the second round.

Whittaker, currently ranked No. 11 in both the UFC Media and Meta rankings, will look to build on his recent success at light-heavyweight, where he secured a TKO victory over Nikita Krylov in his divisional debut.

Guskov, ranked No. 10 in both rankings, enters the fight with a strong knockout record and a recent streak of UFC victories, including finishes over Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann.

Whittaker’s career includes two middleweight title reigns, though he faced setbacks against Israel Adesanya and later champions Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev before moving up to light-heavyweight. Guskov, a rising contender, made his UFC debut in 2023 and has since established himself as a formidable knockout artist in the middleweight division.