Robert Whittaker is set to make his light heavyweight debut against Nikita Krylov in the featured prelim at UFC 329 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The former UFC middleweight champion, who enters with a 26-9 MMA record and 17-7 in the UFC, will meet Krylov, who holds a 31-11 MMA mark and 12-9 in the UFC, in a 205-pound clash.
Whittaker outlined his approach to Krylov, saying, "Be patient, respect his power, respect his aggressiveness, his kill-or-be-killed attitude, and just use my movement to open up holes, to open up opportunities," adding, "And when I see them, send him home."
In preparation, Whittaker spent part of his camp at City Kickboxing, the gym of current UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg. "I did a lot of the camp with bigger boys," Whittaker said. "The backend of the camp, I went to City Kickboxing. I was training exclusively with the likes of Navajo Sterling and Tyson Pedro, and those guys are huge fellas, huge bodies to work with. And I can tangle with them. Obviously, training is not fighting, and power and punches is the ultimate equalizer. But that's the risk you take with every fight in every division."
Krylov brings a high finish rate to the matchup, with most of his losses coming by stoppage.
