Robert Whittaker will face Bogdan Guskov in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Sydney on February 7, 2027, at Afterpay Arena. The former middleweight champion co-headlines a card topped by Benoit Saint Denis against Quillan Salkilld.
Whittaker’s First Sydney Fight Since 2014
Robert Whittaker, 35, last fought in Sydney in 2014, a knockout win over Clint Hester. Australia’s first UFC champion won the interim middleweight title over Yoel Romero at UFC 213 in July 2017, then was promoted to undisputed champion that December after Georges St-Pierre vacated the belt. He lost the title by second-round knockout to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in October 2019 in Melbourne, in front of more than 57,000 fans, then came up short in the rematch by decision at UFC 271 in February 2022. He now carries a 27-9 professional record and has moved up to light heavyweight, where the division limit is 205 pounds (93 kg). He validated the move in July with a third round knockout of Nikita Krylov, a win that snapped a two-fight skid against Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder. Asked about his opponent, Whittaker said: “There’s nothing he brings to the table that I think I can’t beat.”
Guskov Brings Knockout Power
Bogdan Guskov, 34, nicknamed “Hitman,” hails from Uzbekistan and carries an 18-4-1 record with 15 finishes by knockout or TKO. He is coming off a stoppage loss to Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event in July, a fight he accepted on short notice after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew. Before that result, he had gone five fights without a loss, including a draw with former champion Jan Blachowicz. His finishing rate makes him one of the more dangerous strikers in the light heavyweight division, and booking him against a recognizable former champion like Whittaker underlines where he now sits in the division’s pecking order.
Saint Denis Headlines Against Salkilld
The main event pits French lightweight Benoit Saint Denis, 29, against unbeaten Australian prospect Quillan Salkilld, 26. Saint Denis holds a 17-4-1 professional record and a 9-4 mark inside the Octagon. He beat Dan Hooker by TKO in Sydney in February, then lost by technical submission to Paddy Pimblett in Las Vegas in July. Salkilld, for his part, is unbeaten through six fights since joining the UFC, including a submission of Beneil Dariush and a head-kick knockout of Nasrat Haqparast that CBS Sports named the 2025 Knockout of the Year, before he submitted Mateusz Gamrot in Perth in August in his first main event. He has collected five Performance of the Night bonuses and holds a 13-1 professional record. A former Australian rules footballer from Broome, Western Australia, he took up MMA in 2018.
What a Win Would Mean for Each Headliner
For Whittaker, 35, beating a dangerous striker like Guskov would build momentum in his second act at light heavyweight after back-to-back losses to top-five middleweight names. For Saint Denis, returning to Sydney, where he scored one of his cleanest UFC wins over Dan Hooker, is a chance to bounce back from the quick loss to Paddy Pimblett and reassert himself as a lightweight title contender against an opponent who remains unbeaten since joining the promotion.
Card Still Taking Shape
The UFC confirmed the Whittaker-Guskov addition on November 1, alongside bouts between Niushiyue Ji and Takaya Suzuki, and Marwan Rahiki and JooSang Yoo. Peter Kloczko, UFC senior vice president for Australia and New Zealand, called the card an unforgettable night for Australian fans and praised Salkilld as one of the breakout stars of the lightweight division. The venue, Afterpay Arena, is the former Qudos Bank Arena, built on the site of the Sydney SuperDome from the 2000 Olympics. It will be the UFC’s second visit to Sydney in just over a year, following UFC 325 in February 2026, the same card on which Saint Denis beat Dan Hooker. More fights are expected to be added in the coming weeks. The full UFC schedule is tracked on our schedule page.
Guskov has finished 15 of his 18 career wins by knockout, and striking should decide a good share of this UFC Sydney card. Our ranking of 4oz MMA fight gloves compares the best model from every brand.
