Nikita Krylov has been booked to face former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 329.
The matchup is set for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, where Krylov will close the prelims against Whittaker, who is moving up to light heavyweight.
"This is probably the third date and the second opponent that we've had since my last win in January," Krylov said, noting a winding road to finally securing his next fight. "We weren't able to secure a fight that was supposed to happen in Canada that didn't work out. Then there was a date with Robert already in Australia that didn't come out because he wasn't ready for that fight, and now we have this fight here."
Krylov is coming off a third-round knockout win over Modestas Bukauskas in January and has previously fought seven UFC fighters who have been light heavyweight champion or title challengers, going 3-5 in those eight bouts, including a 1-1 record against Ovince St. Preux.
Despite the stakes, Krylov welcomed the challenge against Whittaker. "To be honest, I'm very much happy about Robert standing in front of me because he's one of my favorite fighters, and for me it's a huge honor to share the octagon with such a legend as Robert Whittaker," he said. "(He's had a) legendary career, but I have went to many wars in the octagon, as well."
Looking ahead to fight night, Krylov added: "I think the one thing that everybody is talking about is his speed. He was very much a fast striker in the middleweight division. They're saying that his speed is going to transfer to light heavyweight, so I think out of all the aspects that he's bringing to the octagon, the one thing I have to watch out is how speedy, how quick he is in his attacks."
