The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 243 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Reigning middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year when he takes on interim titleholder Israel Adesanya in a unification bout atop UFC 243 this Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. Whittaker has made only one appearance since Adesanya joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship in February 2018, though long layoffs have been commonplace for him.
Whittaker debuted as an 18-year-old in 2009, amassed a 9-2 record and was cast on “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” three years later.