Robert Whittaker Wins Interim Title In Five-Round War With Yoel Romero

Yoel Romero (12-2) and Robert Whittaker (19-4) threw leather this Saturday night (July 8) inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both men did battle for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title. The fight was bumped up to the headlining spot of UFC 213 when Amanda Nunes fell ill and couldn’t defend her women’s bantamweight title against Valentina Shevchenko.

After five hard-fought rounds, “The Reaper” walked away with gold.

Whittaker went high with a kick early, but it was blocked. “The Reaper” was off balanced from a leg kick courtesy of Romero. A kick to the body was there for Romero, but Whittaker landed a jab. A hook kick attempt by Romero was blocked, but he got a takedown. Whittaker escape the position quickly.

“The Soldier of God” went for a flying knee, then got a grip on his opponent. He pushed Whittaker against the fence. They separated shortly after. A push kick was there for Whittaker. Whittaker fought off a takedown and landed a knee to the body. An inside leg kick was there for Romero. The round ended shortly after.

Whittaker walked gingerly on his left leg. It was due to a kick from Romero. The second round began and Whittaker’s head kick was blocked. Romero ducked under a punch and scored a takedown. “The Reaper” held on in hopes of a stand-up from referee “Big” John McCarthy.

Romero controlled his opponent and pushed him towards the fence. A knee to the body was there for “The Soldier of God.” The clinch was broken up. A right hand connected for Romero and he went back to the clinch. The round ended with a takedown from “The Soldier of God.”

Early in round three, time was called to cut some tape off Romero’s glove. The fight resumed quickly. Whittaker stuffed a takedown. Whittaker landed a left hand. A push kick found the mark for “The Reaper.” The pace from Romero slowed down.

Whittaker landed a side kick. A left hand to the body landed for Whittaker. It appeared Romero was conserving his energy throughout round three. Michael Bisping was seen in the crowd ripping the Cuban flag.

A kick to the body was there early in the fourth round for Whittaker. Romero held onto his opponent near the fence. “The Reaper” got up and landed a knee to the body. “The Soldier of God” went for another takedown, but couldn’t get it. A left hand landed for Whittaker followed by a front kick to the body.

A right hand connected for Whittaker. He landed a left hand afterwards. He stuffed a shot and Romero looked tired. “The Reaper” moved forward with strikes as the round came to an end.

The fifth and final round began. Whittaker landed a punch, but Romero answered. He ducked under a head kick. A knee landed for “The Reaper.” A left hand found the mark for Romero. A front kick to the body was there for Whittaker, who started to slow down as well. The push kicks proved to be a problem for Romero.

Blood trickled down the side of Romero’s head. Romero went down off a leg kick. Whittaker landed some elbows. He briefly had full mount. Elbows rained down from “The Reaper.” The final horn sounded with Whittaker in top control.

All three judges score the fight for Robert Whittaker, who was crowned the interim middleweight champion.

Final Result: Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)