{
  "id": 17749172,
  "title": "Big is beautiful as Australia's first UFC champion finally comes home",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/big-is-beautiful-as-australias-first-ufc-champion-finally-comes-home",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-02T05:00:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-02/rob-whittaker-ufc-sydney-bogdan-guskov/107337446"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rob Whittaker, Australia's first UFC champion, will finally return home to Sydney for his first UFC fight in 12 years. Whittaker, now 35, has recently moved up a weight class from middleweight to light-heavyweight. The UFC light-heavyweight is set to face Uzbekistan's Bogdan Guskov at the UFC's next card in Sydney on February 7. Whittaker, who recently knocked out Nikita Krylov in July, is optimistic about his upcoming bout, despite Guskov's powerful record. Whittaker credits his recent victories over top fighters as proof that he can outpoint Guskov. Whittaker, a father of five, is excited to bring his family to the fight, which will be his second since moving up in weight class.",
  "summary": "Rob Whittaker's last fight in Sydney was so long ago he can barely remember it, but Australia's first UFC champion, now bulked up, is finally coming home for his first hometown fight since 2014.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}