Reigning UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Yoel Romero will still headline the main event of UFC 225 this Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center.
However, this time, it's no longer for the prestigious belt after Romero missed the weight limit of 185 pounds. On Friday's weigh-in, the 41-year-old Romero was billed at 186 pounds on his first attempt and 185.2 pounds on the second one.
Despite missing the weight limit, Romero will still be going up against Whittaker in a non-titular bout. Romero, couldn't help but be frustrated with the outcome, still, the Cuban native vows to give his best this Saturday.
"It's very hard. We come here to fight for the title. And the commission makes this mistake. We want to fight for the title," Romero said.
It also marked the second time for Romero to miss the weight limit after he weighed 187.7 pounds in his bout against Luke Rockhold in UFC 221. Interestingly, Romero who sports a card of 13 wins and two losses beat Rockhold via a second-round knockout in UFC 221.
A Formidable Opponent
Nonetheless, it is expected that Romero will have a hard time against Whittaker who is starting to carve his name as one of the most sought-after stars of the UFC. The 27-year-old Whittaker holds an impressive record of 20 victories and four losses.
Whittaker who fights out of Sydney, Australia is also hoping to improve from his performance against Romero last year. It can be brought up that the former scored a unanimous decision triumph over the latter last year.
Star-Studded Cast
The early preliminaries will kick off the event with Rashad Evans trading punches against Anthony Smith in the Light Heavyweight Division. Other early preliminary matches include the Joseph Benavidez-Sergio Pettis flyweight battle and the Clay Guida-Charles Oliveira lightweight match.
On the other hand, the preliminary card will be comprised of the featherweight battle between Ricardo Lamas and Mirsad Bektic and the women strawweight match of Carla Esparza and Claudia Gadelha. Completing the preliminary cards are Alistair Overeem and Curtis Blaydes who will battle in the heavyweight class.
Besides Romero and Whittaker, the main card will feature a men's welterweight battle of Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington and the Andrei Arlovski-Tai Tuisava bout in the heavyweight division. Former WWE Superstar CM Punk will also be in action against Mike Jackson while Holly Holm takes on Megan Anderson in the women's featherweight class.
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