A matchup of middleweight contenders has been rebooked for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut event in Paris.
The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori will square off on Sept. 3 at Accor Arena in Paris, France. Whittaker and Vettori were originally slated to meet at UFC 275 on June 11 before Whittaker was forced to pull out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury.
While Whittaker vs. Vettori is the only official fight for the event, UFC Paris is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight showdown pitting Ciryl Gane against Tai Tuivasa. Also previously reported for the card is a women’s flyweight clash between Katlyn Chookagian and Manon Fiorot.
Whittaker last appeared at UFC 271, where he came up short in a bid to regain the 185-pound belt in a unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya on Feb. 12 in Houston. Prior to that, “The Reaper” earned successive triumphs over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum to earn a rematch against the reigning champion. Whittaker’s brief stint as middleweight king ended in a second-round KO loss to Adesanya at UFC 243 in October 2019.
Five consecutive Octagon triumphs from July 2019 to April 2021 earned Vettori a shot at middleweight gold at UFC 263, where he dropped a five-round verdict against Adesanya. The 28-year-old Italian returned to the win column in his most recent appearance, when he outpointed Paulo Costa in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 196 this past October.
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