SCOTTISH UFC featherweight Robert Whiteford will be officially unveiled today as part of the card for the upcoming and landmark UFC Fight Night in Croatia.

HeraldSport can exclusively reveal that the 32-year-old from Armadale will return to the octagon for his first fight this calendar year as he seeks to take his professional record to 13 wins from 16 bouts. Standing in his way will be Brazilian Lucas ‘Mineiro’ Martins, whose records reads 15-3.

Whiteford was part of a Scottish trio that competed in an Ultimate Fighting Championship extravaganza last July in Glasgow, the first MMA event of its kind ever held in Scotland. He joined compatriots Stevie Ray and Joanne Calderwood on the night, with all three coming out on top in their respective fights.

Now the man weighing in at 145lbs will be part of the very first UFC night to be staged in Croatia when the eyes of the world fall on Zagreb on Sunday April 10.

The headline clash will take place between American heavyweight Ben Rothwell and Brazil’s Junior dos Santos, a former UFC heavyweight champion.

Whiteford is currently in the middle of a training camp for the event in California at the famous American Top Team gym. On Wednesday he tweeted to his followers: “Fight news soon, get oot the passports.”

The meeting with Martins will be the Scot’s fifth fight in the UFC, with his record currently sitting at two wins and two defeats. His last contest came on October 24 in Fight Night 76 in Dublin, when he lost on a unanimous points decision to Darren Elkins of the US.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT® : ROTHWELL vs. DOS SANTOS are on sale now and are priced at HRK 95, HRK 190, HRK 270, HRK 345, HRK 420 and HRK 800. Tickets are available for purchase via Eventim.