Robert Whittaker crowned Australia’s first UFC champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated title.
ROBERT Whittaker has become Australia’s first UFC champion without throwing a punch.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Whittaker, 26, will today be crowned UFC middleweight champ after Canadian megastar Georges St-Pierre decided to vacate the title.
Apart from making Australian sports history, Whittaker has also been guaranteed a home soil blockbuster for his first title defence — against American Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 in Perth next February.
Only last month, Whittaker sat front row at Madison Square Garden as St-Pierre, returning after an absence of four years at UFC 217, choked out Englishman Michael Bisping to become middleweight king.
Since then, however, the Canadian superstar has been diagnosed with colitis, an illness which may be tied to his returning in a weight class higher than his usual division, welterweight.
Speaking this morning, a UFC official not only confirmed that GSP was vacating the gold strap, but that Whittaker — who already held the division’s interim title — would now be upgraded to undisputed champion.
“Middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre is vacating his world title effective immediately,’’ they said. “And Robert Whittaker has been elevated to undisputed champion”.
The company also provided The Daily Telegraph with a release which quoted St-Pierre saying: “My fight at UFC 217 was one of the greatest nights of my life.
“But I now need to take some time to focus on my health. Out of respect to the athletes and the sport, I don’t want to hold up the division.
“I will be giving up my belt and once I’m healthy I look forward to working with the UFC to determine what’s next in my career.”
The UFC also confirmed Whittaker would fight No. 3 challenger Rockhold in Perth.
Subject to approval from the Combat Sports Commission in Western Australia, the five-round bout will be the first event in Western Australia and held at Perth Arena.
As a result, Whittaker has today created Australian sports history.
Better, the Sydney father-of-two now gets to defend in Perth on February 11 against Rockhold, who was himself middleweight champ last year.
After defeating countryman Chris Weidman for the middleweight title at UFC 194, Rockhold then lost the gold strap in an upset at UFC 199, when he was knocked out by Bisping.
Earlier this week, the Californian suggested Whittaker was the division’s “real champ” and said he was “ready to fight him”.
Whittaker, meanwhile, most recently defeated Cuban monster Yoel Romero by decision to claim the interim middleweight belt.
* The Daily Telegraph
