UFC 234: Whittaker vs Gastelum preview, fight card and schedule

UFC 234 is headlined by Middleweight bouts

Bengaluru, February 8: The Ultimate Fighting Championship crew travel down under this weekend to host UFC 234: Whittaker vs. Gastelum at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

The event which takes place on Sunday (February 10), will be headlined by UFC Middleweight title fight between, the champion Robert Whittaker and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen middleweight winner Kelvin Gastelum.

Robert Whittaker comes into the weekend's fight on a thumping nine-fight win streak and on the back of two successful title defences against Yoel Romero. The Reaper hasn't lost since he fought Stephen Thompson in 2014. The Aussie also has just dropped two of his thirteen fights in the promotion so far.

An absolute WAR!

Flash🔙 to summer 2018 when @RobWhittakerMMA & Romero gave it ALL THEY HAD. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/qt9eW3SODH
— UFC (@ufc) February 7, 2019

Kelvin Gastelum, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak having bounced back from a defeat to Chris Weidman with wins over former champion Michael Bisping (KO) and Ronaldo Souza (Decision). But, the American, who has dropped three of his thirteen fights in the UFC hasn't fought since May.

3️⃣ DAYS!

➡️ https://t.co/IOh6xYrwcZ #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/DN7s3O9HhV
— UFC (@ufc) February 6, 2019

Meanwhile, the co-main event of UFC 234 features the return of Anderson Silva, who will take on the undefeated Israel Adesanya in a middleweight bout.

After two years away, the legend returns. 🕷

➡️ https://t.co/RZH3TgtWfD #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/vJVDFlMVE6
— UFC (@ufc) February 7, 2019

The 43-year-old Silva has had just one win from his past six fights - and hasn't been in the Octagon since his 2017 unanimous decision win over Derek Brunson.

The Kiwi Adesanya, meanwhile, remains undefeated in the UFC, despite stepping into the Octagon four times in 2018. He's now just one victory short of a shot at the middleweight belt after recent wins over Derek Brunson, Brad Tavarez and Marvin Vettori.

This Saturday, step into the matrix.

➡️ https://t.co/RZH3TgtWfD #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/SRIHoeTA8I
— UFC (@ufc) February 8, 2019

Also on the main card feature, Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon in bantamweight bout and Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey in a lightweight battle. While, to round off the card, we will see women's flyweight battle between Montana De La Rosa and Nadia Kassem.

In the preliminary card, we will see the likes of Dong Hyun Ma, Teruto Ishihara, Kyung Ho Kang, Austin Arnett and Lando Vannata in action.

They've each made their mark!

BUT, who has had the best career-defining KO? #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/KnZ9V0uoia
— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2019

Here is all you need to know about UFC 234:

When and where is UFC 234 happening?

The event takes place on Sunday (February 10) at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

How to watch UFC 234 in India?

Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD will telecast the main card live on Sunday (February 10) from 8.30 AM IST. The live stream is available via Sony LIV.

Meanwhile, the preliminary can be streamed earlier in the day using the UFC Fight Pass from 5 AM IST.

Here is the scheduled fight card for UFC 234:

Main Card

1. Middleweight title bout: Robert Whittaker (c) vs. Kelvin Gastelum

2. Middleweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. Israel Adesanya

3. Bantamweight bout: Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon

4. Women's Flyweight bout: Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem

5. Light Heavyweight bout: Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey

Preliminary Card

1. Lightweight bout: Devonte Smith vs. Dong Hyun Ma

2. Featherweight bout: Shane Young vs. Austin Arnett

3. Flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Raulian Paiva