Former champ Robert Whittaker added to UFC 248 in Las Vegas
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will look to bounce back from his title loss with a fight in Las Vegas.
Whittaker will face Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena, people close to the organization confirmed Thursday.
Cannonier has knocked out three straight opponents, including a second-round stoppage of Jack Hermansson in September. The run includes a win over former champ Anderson Silva in May.
Whittaker had a nine-fight winning streak snapped and lost his belt when he was knocked out by rising star Israel Adesanya in October.
Whittaker, a 28-year-old from Australia, first won the interim belt when he captured a decision over Yoel Romero in July 2017, the last time he fought in Las Vegas.
The UFC has not announced a main event for the card, which features a women’s strawweight title bout between champion Weili Zhang and former champ Joanna Jedrzejcyk.
Neil Magny is expected to face Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
