Middleweights Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier Booked for UFC 254 on Oct. 24

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Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will square off against surging contender Jared Cannonier at UFC 254.

ESPN was first to report the pairing. UFC 254 takes place on Oct. 24 and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. A location for the pay-per-view event has not been confirmed.

Whittaker returned to the win column at UFC on ESPN 14, where he took a competitive five-round verdict over Darren Till. It was Whittaker’s first appearance since losing the 185-pound belt to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 this past October.

Cannonier, meanwhile, will return to action for the first time since undergoing pectoral surgery in February. The former heavyweight and light heavyweight competitor has emerged as a contender at 185 pounds after successive TKO finishes of David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson in the Las Vegas-based promotion.