UFC 225 in Chicago is right around the corner and one of the big summer PPVs of the year is coming together quite nicely. In the main event, fight fans will get to see the rematch of middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Yoel Romero. The pair battled in one of the best title bouts of 2017 when they went 25 grueling minutes in the main event of UFC 213.
Whittaker earned a unanimous decision win for the interim title despite suffering a bad knee injury early on in the fight. He was later elevated to full-time champion when Georges St-Pierre vacated the title shortly after beating Michael Bisping at UFC 217. It will be Whittaker first appearance since that fight after being forced to withdraw from his first title defense against Luke Rockhold in February. In his place stepped Romero, who thrilled fans with a huge upset TKO in the third round.
UFC also confirmed initial reports that they will be hosting the first women's featherweight fight that doesn't involve a belt when former bantamweight champion Holly Holm battles it out with former Invicta champion Megan Anderson. The winner likely gets the next shot at Cris Cyborg. Plus, top featherweights coming off a loss will collide when Ricardo Lamas squares off with Mirsad Bektic.
There are now 12 fights official for the Windy City. Here's a look at the current fight card for Chicago.
| FIGHT | WEIGHTCLASS |
|---|---|
Robert Whittaker (c) vs. Yoel Romero
|
Middleweight title
|
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington
|
Interim welterweight title
|
Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes
|
Heavyweight
|
| Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson | Women's featherweight |
| CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson | Welterweight |
| Ricardo Lamas vs. Mirsad Bektic | Featherweight |
Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
|
Flyweight
|
Claudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza
|
Women's strawweight
|
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa
|
Heavyweight
|
Rashad Evans vs. Anthony Smith
|
Light heavyweight
|
Rashad Coulter vs. Allen Crowder
|
Heavyweight
|
Mike Santiago vs. Dan Ige
|
Featherweight
|
| Clay Guida vs. Bobby Green | Lightweight |
