It won’t take long for former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker to step back into the octagon as he’ll take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 254 in October. Both ESPN and MMA Junkie confirmed the news, though the match-up hasn’t been announced publicly yet.
Whittaker will be stepping into the octagon following his win over Darren Till last month. Other than dropping the UFC Middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243, the New Zealand native has won four out of his last five fights, beating top middleweights Yoel Romero (UFC 213 and UFC 225), Ronaldo Souza (UFC on Fox 24), and Derek Brunson (UFC 197). Whittaker’s professional record currently stands at 21 wins and 5 losses.
Cannonier enters the bout on a three-fight winning streak, defeating David Branch (via TKO at UFC 230), Anderson Silva (via TKO at UFC 237), and Jack Hermansson (via TKO at UFC Fight Night 160). The Texas native hasn’t lost a bout since his fight against Dominick Reyes in May 2018. Cannonier’s professional record stands at 13 wins and 4 losses.
Check out the updated line-up for UFC 254 that features Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight title as the main event:
UFC Lightweight Championship: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje
Jared Cannonier vs. Robert Whittaker