Gastelum vs. Adesanya booked for interim middleweight title at UFC 236

Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya will fight for an interim middleweight title at UFC 236 on April 13 while champion Robert Whittaker continues to recover from a hernia, president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

A host site for UFC 236 has yet to be announced.

Gastelum was scheduled to face Whittaker for the belt at UFC 234 on Feb. 10 in Melbourne, Australia, but the titleholder was scratched hours before the fight to undergo emergency surgery.

Adesanya appeared on that same card, defeating Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. The 29-year-old boasts a spotless 16-0 professional record and is 5-0 since joining the UFC.

Whittaker is expected to be ready for action at some point during the summer. Injuries have factored into him fighting just once since capturing what was then an interim championship in July 2017. His lone defense became a non-title bout after challenger Yoel Romero missed weight.