Robert Whittaker was initially set to fight Paulo Costa on April 17, but will now face Kelvin Gastelum in a bout that almost happened two years ago.

Costa’s withdrawal due to illness has turned one intriguing encounter with serious middleweight contender ship implications into another,

and Whittaker recently told MMA Fighting that perhaps, this is fate at work.

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is taking his change of opponent in stride.

“I found out through my manager and actually through my coach,” Whittaker said. “And it’s just, my initial OCD flared up,

cause I hate last minute changes and I hate things like this changing. And I was really upset for a little bit. But I got over it.

“The work’s been done, the camp’s been great. I’m fit, and the idea of not fighting on the date is just silly.

I’ve got to earn my break, I’ve got to earn some money, I’ve got to do my job. So, I’m going to get in there and I’m gonna do that.

“There weren’t a lot of options because a lot of the middleweight division is tied up and also,

the ones that aren’t tied up just don’t make sense. So, Gastelum really was the only one that was a potential possibility.

I kind of owe a fight to him anyway, right? So, it’s a good fight…”

Here’s everything you need to know about the UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum card.

UFC Fight Night on ESPN

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: WHITTAKER VS. GASTELUM START TIME

• Date:  Sunday, April 18
• Time:  4am CET
• Main event: 6:15am CET

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum takes place on Saturday night local time in the U.S.,

but for European viewers it will take place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The main show starts at 4am CET, while Whittaker and Gastelum should make their walks to the Octagon around 6:15 a.m.,

although that depends on the lengths of the previous bouts.