Robert Whittaker vs. Derek Brunson Promoted to UFC Fight Night Melbourne Headliner

A pivotal middleweight showdown between Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson has been elevated to top billing at UFC Fight Night 101 in Melbourne (online betting).

The change comes as a result of an injury to Luke Rockhold that forced him to withdraw from the event’s originally scheduled headliner against Ronaldo Souza. The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the change on Wednesday. Whittaker-Brunson will now be a five-round fight.

UFC Fight Night takes place at Rod Laver Arena on Nov. 26 — Nov. 27 in Australia. The evening’s main card airs on Fox Sports 1.

Whittaker, 25, is currently riding the momentum of a five-bout winning streak. The Sydney native was successful in his first appearance of 2016, taking a unanimous verdict against Rafael Natal at UFC 197 on April 23. “The Reaper” is 7-2 during his promotional tenure.

Brunson has also been victorious in five straight contests, including a first-round stoppage of Uriah Hall in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night “Poirier vs. Johnson” on Sept. 17. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative also owns first-round finishes of Roan Carneiro, Sam Alvey and Ed Herman during that streak.