Robert Whittaker Eyes Fight in Sydney

Robert Whittaker has his next move sketched out – and he wants it to unfold on home soil.

Fresh off a statement-making light heavyweight debut at UFC 329, where he stopped Nikita Krylov, the former middleweight champion is eyeing a return to the cage early next year. The ideal stage? A familiar one: Sydney.

The UFC has landed in Sydney in February for the past two years, and whispers suggest the promotion could be back again in early 2027. For Whittaker, that timeline fits perfectly.

He hasn’t fought in his hometown since 2014, when he finished Clint Hester. A decade away from home is a long time for one of Australia’s most decorated fighters.

“Unfortunately not a lot of fight news,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia. “I am training and preparing for things, but honestly, I heard rumors that UFC is coming to Sydney early next year. I know I've been saying I want to fight in Sydney and fight at home for a long time so, here we are. I'm going to try and reserve myself, save myself, prepare for the best, and hopefully get in there.”

The opponent, in Whittaker’s mind, is already clear.

Jan Blachowicz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, answered Whittaker’s earlier callout and remains at the top of his wish list. The Polish veteran is coming off a first-round TKO defeat to Navajo Stirling at UFC Fight Night 283 in August, a setback that only sharpens the stakes for a potential clash.

“He's the only one who hit back, and he's happy for that fight,” Whittaker said of Blachowicz. “He's happy for that fight, I'm happy for that fight, and that's where we're at. But, I'm preparing for anybody and anything. Just looking to get out there and get my hand raised one more time.”

One more time in Sydney, under the lights, with a new chapter at light heavyweight on the line – that’s the vision Whittaker is training toward. Now he waits to see if the UFC’s calendar, and Blachowicz’s resolve, line up with it.