Report: Whittaker, Rockhold in early talks for UFC 221 fight in Australia

Australian-born UFC interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and No. 3-ranked contender Luke Rockhold are in preliminary talks to fight at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, sources told Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com.

The fight isn't "100 percent" set, however, added Helwani.

The king of the division, Georges St-Pierre, is out indefinitely due to a bout of colitis, meaning a potential title-unification fight with Whittaker is off the cards for the foreseeable future.

Rockhold, who lost the middleweight title in June 2016, called for a fight with Whittaker on Monday, referring to him as "the real champ" during an appearance on "The MMA Hour."