Rob Whittaker says he'll have to knock out Yoel Romero if he wants to win the interim UFC middleweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday AEST).
The Australian will be this country's first ever UFC champion if he can score a win over Romero, who is 14 years his senior.
Whittaker knows what he is up against in a man who won his last fight with a sickening flying knee and then punches to the head of the highly-rated Chris Weidman.
"Winning the title would mean the world to me but so would simply winning the fight," Whittaker told AAP.
"I have nothing but respect for Yoel Romero. The caliber of fighter he is at the highest level and has been for a number of years, it feels like he is just getting better with experience.
They have beaten similar opponents - both hold recent wins over Jacare Souza, Whittaker by KO, the first man to do so against the Brazilian since 2008.
In Romero he faces an explosive but deliberate fighter who leaves few openings.
"I'm going to be pushing my gameplan constantly and so will he. Whoever gets their gameplan out the best will ultimately succeed," Whittaker said.
If he wins Whittaker will have the gold and a likely date with injured middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
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