Overview
- UFC confirmed that Whittaker will face veteran Nikita Krylov on July 11 at T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and that the bout will close the UFC 329 preliminary card.
- The prelim placement ends a 13‑year run of main‑card appearances for Whittaker, whose last preliminary outing was at UFC 160 in May 2013.
- Whittaker told Submission Radio that the featured prelim spot “makes sense‑ish” and that he welcomes an earlier fight time after a lengthy layoff.
- The move to 205 pounds follows Whittaker’s close loss to Reinier de Ridder and a subsequent defeat to Khamzat Chimaev, prompting this light‑heavyweight experiment.
- UFC 329 is built as a stacked International Fight Week card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway, which helps explain why Whittaker’s debut was placed on the prelims.