Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is set to make his light heavyweight debut on the prelims of UFC 329, taking on Nikita Krylov at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11.
The matchup marks Whittaker’s first appearance at 205 pounds and the first time in 13 years he has not been placed on a main card, with the promotion slotting him into the featured prelims instead.
Whittaker acknowledged the change in status, saying, "Well, it's different," before expanding on the shift. "I haven't been in a prelim fight for a long time. I don't know. On paper, intellectually, you look at it, it makes sense-ish. My first move up to 205, coming back after a big layoff. I'm looking forward to getting back in there. Honestly, the silver lining is that I get to get my fight out of the way a little bit earlier."
He also noted one upside to the earlier start time. "I hate those late nights, they kill me a little bit. Honestly, it's just about getting in there and getting to business. I want to get in there, and I want to execute all of the things that I've been working on up until now, I want to feel myself out, I want to feel how the fight feels. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
Whittaker last competed on the prelims when he defeated Colton Smith by TKO at UFC 160.
