UFC 225: Whittaker vs Romero 2 – A Night of Thrilling…
Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero fought another demanding five rounds at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018, at Chicago’s United Center. Whittaker won their rematch by split decision, while Colby Covington captured the interim welterweight championship against Rafael dos Anjos. The 13-bout event combined championship stakes with consequential wins throughout the preliminaries.
View the official UFC 225 event archive on UFC.com.
Whittaker survives Romero’s late pressure
Romero missed the middleweight championship limit, so the headliner became a five-round non-title fight. Whittaker’s belt was not on the line. The champion built his offense around movement, jabs and kicks, but Romero’s power repeatedly threatened to turn the contest.
Whittaker survived the Cuban’s strongest surges and received the split decision after 25 minutes. It was his second victory over Romero, following their interim-title meeting at UFC 213. The rematch’s drama came from the tension between Whittaker’s sustained work and Romero’s more explosive attacks.
Covington takes the interim welterweight belt
Covington maintained a demanding wrestling and pressure game against dos Anjos. The former lightweight champion remained competitive, but Covington’s persistence carried him to a unanimous decision over five rounds and the interim 170-pound title.
Elsewhere on the main card, Holly Holm defeated Megan Anderson over three rounds, and Tai Tuivasa won a decision against Andrei Arlovski. Mike Jackson initially received a decision over CM Punk; that result was subsequently overturned to a no contest following Jackson’s positive marijuana test.
Preliminary fighters make their mark
Curtis Blaydes stopped Alistair Overeem with elbows in round three, strengthening his heavyweight position. Anthony Smith needed only 53 seconds to knock out Rashad Evans with a knee. Charles Oliveira submitted Clay Guida, and Dan Ige opened the event with a quick stoppage of Mike Santiago. Close decisions for Claudia Gadelha, Mirsad Bektic and Sergio Pettis added further depth to an unusually substantial preliminary card.
Complete UFC 225 results
- Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero — split decision, round 5, 5:00; non-title fight.
- Colby Covington defeated Rafael dos Anjos — unanimous decision, round 5, 5:00; won interim welterweight title.
- Holly Holm defeated Megan Anderson — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Tai Tuivasa defeated Andrei Arlovski — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Mike Jackson vs. CM Punk — no contest; original Jackson decision overturned.
- Curtis Blaydes defeated Alistair Overeem — TKO (elbows), round 3, 2:56.
- Claudia Gadelha defeated Carla Esparza — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Mirsad Bektic defeated Ricardo Lamas — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Chris de la Rocha defeated Rashad Coulter — TKO (punches), round 2, 3:53.
- Anthony Smith defeated Rashad Evans — KO (knee), round 1, 0:53.
- Sergio Pettis defeated Joseph Benavidez — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Charles Oliveira defeated Clay Guida — submission (guillotine choke), round 1, 2:18.
- Dan Ige defeated Mike Santiago — TKO (punches), round 1, 0:50.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC, UFC 225, Mixed Martial Arts
