How deep is the UFC 225 card at the United Center in Chicago of Saturday?
A former light-heavyweight champion (Rashad Evans), a former title challenger and current No. 1 flyweight contender (Joseph Benavidez) plus a sure-to-be exciting lightweight scrap between hometown underdog Clay Guida and also Charles’Do Bronx’ Oliveira are buried on the FightPass prelims.
There were supposed to be just two title fights, including the most important event between middleweight champ Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. However, Romero missed weight by merely 0.2 pounds when he tipped the scales at 185.2 lbs.
For title conflicts, the allowance isn’t granted. Romero’s initial weigh-in was 186 lbs. He was then given two hours to shed one pound. In accordance with tweets from MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, the mind of the Illinois Athletic Commission overruled a doctor about the scene and compelled Romero to quit cutting weight hour into the two-hour time frame.
That’s when he moved into the scale and came up 0.2 pounds short. His camp was reportedly upset and felt if awarded another hour he had been presumed to be allowed, Romero would have hit his mark. He affirmed this in his interview with Joe Rogan in the weigh-ins early Friday night. “I don’t why the Commission decided to not give me the 2 hours,” Romero said.
Whittaker still wanted to fight and wasn’t interested in placing weight limitations on Romero for Saturday (like we saw with Darren Till vs.’Wonderboy’ Thompson in Liverpool two weeks ago). The most important event will still take place, although Whittaker’s strap will not be online.
Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was a -220 favored for most of this week. Night, the number was up to the -250/260 range. Romero was the +210 underdog (risk $100 to win $210). The total was 4.5 rounds (‘under’ -165,’over’ +145).
Whittaker has won eight successive battles since dropping by first-round knockout to Thompson in UFC 170. His only other defeat from the Octagon came against Court McGee. The 27-year-old New Zealander is 7-0 since moving up from welterweight into the 185-pound loop. In Whittaker seven fights, he has garnered three Performance of the Night bonuses and engaged in three Fights of the Night.
Whittaker won the interim middleweight belt by beating Romero by unanimous decision (48-47 across) at UFC 213 at Las Vegas last July. He became the undisputed champ when Georges St. Pierre relinquished the title due to an illness.
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