UFC’s two pro Middleweight fighters Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero will be locking horns for the second time, this Saturday night (June 09, 2018) as pay-per-view main event at United Centre in Chicago, Illinois. The Reaper managed a narrow unanimous win for middleweight title against his Cuban opponent Romero 11 months ago. Now a rematch amongst the two will mark it as Whittaker’s debut title defence after dropping a fight against Luke Rockhold owing to chickenpox and staph infection.
Other co-events for the night include a sensational friction between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington for a second weight class title and a fiery bout between Holly Holm and Invicta victor Megan Anderson.
A Recap Of Recent Performances
After showcasing fiery fights by Nurmagomedov and Nunes at UFC 223 and 224 respectively, UFC 225 offers a fight that has chances of swaying in any direction.
Whittaker had lady luck by his side since he moved a notch up from welterweight division to middleweight category. His previous record has been remarkable with a winning streak of 8 fights including a triumph over Yoel Romero at UFC 213, bagging an interim UFC Middleweight Championship victory. Now the 27-year-old Aussie will be taking on “The Cuban Missile” as an undisputed champ in an attempt to defend his title.
41-year-old Cuban couldn’t compete against Luke Rockhold for a middleweight title brawl as he failed to make weight. Had the 41-year-old artist stayed on right scale, he would be challenging the title as an interim champ.
UFC 225 Main Card Event – Whittaker vs. Romero
The fight is expected to be quite challenging as two contenders will face off each other after 11 months for the same title. Previously Whittaker has expressed that going into cage with Romero is somewhat risky. He believes that chances for him winning are 50/50.
The last fight saw the Cuban Missile barge his way to success in initial rounds by inflicting venomous kicks to Aussie’s legs and body, causing the latter a knee injury. However, his lethal stride faded away and the Reaper was able to take the reins of the fight securing last three rounds.
Romero is one of the most lethal strikers in UFC and the only reason Whittaker was able to trounce him was his rock-solid stamina and an amazing takedown defence. This time around, the Reaper needs to devise a powerful strategy while being able to evade initial stampede from Romero.
The challenger boasted a flawless form when he delivered a third-round KO to Luke Rockhold in February. However, understanding Whittaker’s gameplay is like solving a mystery puzzle, which can be confusing for the Cuban Missile.
Given his skills and experience, picking Romero as favourite wouldn’t be an unsafe bet. However, Whittaker has already survived Romero’s explosiveness and is capable of doing it once again.
RDX Prediction: Whittaker by Unanimous Decision
