Coming off four straight victories, New Zealand-born Australian Robert Whittaker has been on an absolute tear in the UFC’s middleweight division for the last two years. Now, his consistency has been rewarded with a spot on one of the biggest cards of 2016.
On Tuesday the UFC confirmed that #8 ranked Whittaker will face #12 Rafael Natal on the monumental main card of UFC 197 in April.
UFC 197 will feature the return of Jon Jones as he attempts to reclaim the light-heavyweight title that he was spectacularly stripped of following his mid-2015 involvment in a hit-and-run accident.
Jones was widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world before his departure, and his return is sure to garner wide attention from casual and hardcore fans alike.
He will face off with now light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who claimed the vacant belt with an impressive submission in a back-and-forth bout with possibly the most dangerous fighter in the UFC, Anthony Johnson.
Cormier has since defended the belt with a closely contested split decision over Alexander Gustafsson, but the former Olympian will be eager to even the ledger with Jones after their five-round fight in early 2015. On that night Jones successfully defended his belt for the eighth straight time, becoming just the third person in history to do so.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Demetrious Johnson will attempt to join Jones in the record books with eight consecutive title defences, as he faces No.3 ranked challenger, Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo is undefeated in his professional mma career and features a decorated wrestling career in which he claimed gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Since joining the UFC in 2014, Cejudo has been impressive in his four straight decision victories, but he will undoubtedly come into this title bout as the heavy underdog against the current flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson.
‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson is arguably one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet at the moment, and unequivocally one of the most dominant champions the UFC has ever seen. His dominance has been on display in every aspect of his game. He seamlessly blends striking, the clinch and grappling into the complete package over the course of his four-year tenure as 125lb champion, presenting a unique challenge of the highest calibre for the Olympian Cejudo.
A chance on the main card of such an event marks a huge opportunity for Whittaker, giving him a shot to ply his trade alongside some of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, and the immense attention they invariably attract.
Now three fights into his middleweight career and already ranked No.8, Whittaker will be keen to put on a show against his Brazilian counterpart. He will be too cognisant of the fact that an impressive performance on such a stacked card could catapult him into the frame among some of the top ranked middleweights in the world.
With 14 fights in the UFC, and a fourth degree BJJ black belt to his name, make no mistake that Rafael Natal has the tools to spoil the meteoric rise of the Australian. At 33 years old though, he absolutely must seize this opportunity against a rising star if he’s to capitalise on his four-fight win streak and get a chance to mix it with the elite at 185lbs.
For Whittaker, in his athletic prime at 25 years old and with the rapidly evolving skill-set that he’s displayed over the last few years, the stage is well and truly set for him to step up and stake his claim to a position with those at the upper echelon of the UFC’s middleweight division.
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