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UFC Melbourne Gets New Main Event Following Luke Rockhold Injury
With Luke Rockhold knocked out of the UFC Fight Night 101 main event due to injury, promotion officials acted swiftly to name a new main event for Melbourne.
There were virtually no options to keep No. 3 ranked middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on the card, short of a last-minute title shot against Michael Bisping, so the UFC named Robert Whittaker vs. Derek Brunson as the new headliner.
While the bout doesn't hold the marquee value of Rochold vs. Jacare, Whittaker (16-4) currently sits at No. 7 in the UFC middleweight rankings and Brunson (16-3) is ranked No. 8. It's an important fight as the division undergoes a re-shuffling at the top end.
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“I think this fight is the set-up for title contention,” Whittaker told UFC.com. “I think either one of us could be fighting for a title and this is almost like the title fight. It’s two dudes who have the ability to get to the top and this is gonna be very exciting.”
Whittaker is on a five-fight winning streak, including all four of his bouts since moving to middleweight. He has shown a tremendous amount of power in his hands since moving up to middleweight, knocking out Clint Hester and Brad Tavares.
“I think I’m making a case for my title shot every time I step in that Octagon,” Whittaker said. “That’s my mentality going into these fights. I go in there with the idea to bring excitement, to show that I’m legit about how I do this.”
Brunson has also won his last five fights. Putting his knockout power on display, Brunson has taken out his four most recent opponents by way of knockout, including Uriah Hall in his latest trip to the Octagon.
