American Luke Rockhold hopes it's just a matter of time before he takes the UFC middleweight title off Australian Robert Whittaker but first he needs to take down a man known as the 'soldier of god'.
Rockhold was initially to fight Whittaker for the title at UFC 221 at Perth Arena on Sunday.
But Whittaker was forced to withdraw after being cut down by a serious infection and then chicken pox.
Rockhold will now fight Cuban Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title with the winner expected fight Whittaker later this year for the world title.
Rockhold already has one eye on a potential bout with Whittaker but insists he isn't taking anything for granted against Romero.
"This is as dangerous as it gets," Rockhold said of the No.1 ranked middleweight contender.
"Yoel calls himself the soldier of god, yet he talks about crippling and hospitalising his opponent. That makes it a lot more real.
"We're not playing games. This is for keeps. This is the real f***ing deal. I'm ready to go."
Whittaker, who became Australia's first UFC champion in December when Canadian Georges St-Pierre vacated the belt, was forced to take antibiotics after contracting an abscess infection on his buttocks.
The antibiotics left him bedridden for several weeks and his health deteriorated further after contracting chickenpox.
Whittaker said it had been the sickest he had ever been but he was still keen to push through and fight Rockhold before being convinced otherwise.
Rockhold said it was a shame he couldn't fight Whittaker for the belt this Sunday.
Whittaker beat Romero last July in a closely-fought contest.
Rockhold wants to beat Romero more comprehensively to show he's better than Whittaker.
"He won but I can do it better," Rockhold said.
Another highlight of UFC 221 will be Australian Mark Hunt's heavyweight fight against rising star Curtis Blaydes.
Hunt is ranked fifth in the world, Blaydes ninth.
Share
