Kelvin Gastelum has stepped as replacement for Robert Whittaker fight.
Whittaker was in need of an opponent for the UFC’s April 17 event, after Paulo Costa announced the withdrew due to illness.
The April 17 card doesn’t have an official location, though the UFC received licensure from the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday to hold it at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Gastelum and Whittaker (22-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) were scheduled to fight at UFC 234 in February 2019. However, Whittaker withdrew on the day of the fight due to a hernia. A little more than two years later, they’ll finally step into the cage against one another.
With the change, the UFC’s April 17 lineup now includes:
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Bartosz Fabinski vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
Tracy Cortez vs. Justine Kish
Tony Gravely vs. Nate Maness
Austin Hubbard vs. Natan Levy
Drakkar Klose vs. Jeremy Stephens