Robert Whittaker wins middleweight title after defeating Yoel Romero at UFC 213

ROBERT Whittaker became the first Australian to ever hold a UFC title, defeating Yoel Romero to claim the middleweight strap at UFC 213.

In other fights on the main card Alistair Overeem set up a shot at Stipe Miocic as the heavyweight defeated Fabrico Werdum and Anthony Pettis overcame Jim Miller in a bloody lightweight battle.

Robert Whittaker makes history

Raise your hand if you’re a UFC champion.Source:News Corp Australia

Middleweight

Robert Whittaker (20-4) defeated Yoel Romero (12-2) via unanimous decision (48-47 x 3)

Australia has its first UFC champion — and Robert Whittaker is a champion in every sense of the word.

The Sydney-based fighter won the interim middleweight title in a five-round war against athletic freak Yoel Romero despite suffering a leg injury in the first few minutes.

Down two rounds to none, Whittaker found a way to turn the tables and claim the final three rounds to grab the first piece of UFC gold by a man from Down Under.

“(The knee injury) was pretty bad, but champions are made of this stuff,” Whittaker said.

The first round showcased the athletic ability of two of the greatest specimens in the sport. Romero was able to wrap his hands around Whittaker three times, but the Aussie showed remarkable flexibility to avoid ending up on the floor. “Amazing takedown defence by Whittaker,” commentator Joe Rogan said. “Amazing.”

Romero also had success with front leg kicks, forcing Whittaker’s left knee to awkwardly lock with one heavy blow. “My leg is f***ed,” Whittaker told his corner during the first break.

Romero took advantage of Whittaker’s compromised condition to physically dominate the second.

But after being told by his corner to “forget” about his knee, Whittaker dug deep to dominate the third round. Romero was either gassed or conserving energy for later in the fight, but he barely threw any strikes.

Whittaker survived everything Romero threw at him.Source:AP

Middleweight champion Michael Bisping briefly stole the spotlight when he was pictured tearing up a miniature Cuban flag and throwing it in Romero’s direction.

But the action in the Octagon quickly resumed priority and it was first-class fighting. Romero controlled the first two minutes of the fourth round before Whittaker escaped his clutches and poured on the pressure again.

He landed enough strikes to take the round, leaving it 2-2 entering the fifth. Both men were exhausted and Whittaker continued to sap the energy of his opponent with repeated front kicks to the body.

For the third round in a row he landed more strikes than his opponent, before finishing the fight with top control to ensure the judges gave him the nod.

Romero was previously undefeated in the UFC, running off eight straight victories since 2013 including wins against Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman and “Jacare” Souza.

But Whittaker has never lost at middleweight, recording six consecutive wins since moving up from welterweight including the scalps of Uriah Hall and Souza.

He will now face Bisping for the real title, likely later this year.

Bisping pulled another stunt inside the Octagon after the fight, interrupting Whittaker’s interview to challenge him.

“First of all Robert, that was an awesome fight. Romero, well done. I wanted to come here and talk a lot of s***, but it was an awesome fight,” Bisping said.

“But the fact you’re standing there with that f***ing (interim) belt on, like you’re a champion, makes me sick, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Bisping then threw his middleweight championship belt on the ground at Whittaker’s feet. “Take that, fight me for it, I’ll see you soon motherf*****,” he said.

Whittaker jokingly asked “can I keep that?” before paying Bisping respect. “I think he’s the champ for a reason,” Whittaker said. “He’s been in the sport for a helluva long time. He’s a tough opponent and I’m absolutely honoured to fight him … me and him were destined to fight.”

Whittaker also praised Romero.

“He’s a tough dude,” Whittaker said. “I was saying in the lead-up I was so excited just to fight Yoel Romero, just to fight a head honcho — the number one contender at the time. Everyone’s been afraid to fight him for the longest time. Everyone speaks of him as the scariest thing — but he’s just a man like everyone else.”

Whittaker was placed in an unusual position post-fight when he joined a broadcast panel featuring Bisping to break down the Romero fight and discuss their upcoming matchup. Ever the showman, Bisping encouraged Whittaker to “stop being so nice” so they could create more interest in their battle.

“Feel free to call me anything under the sun — everyone else does,” Bisping said. “I won’t be offended.”

The pair fought out a brutal war.Source:AP

Overall, Romero landed more strikes than Whittaker (108-103) but the Aussie absolutely trounced him in significant strikes (93-38). Romero secured four takedowns from 14 attempts.

UFC president Dana White was full of praise for Whittaker.

“It was a great fight,” White said. “I’ve been a Whittaker fan for a long time. How much this guy has improved in just a few years — he’s only 26-years-old — is phenomenal.

“First of all, his leg was shot — right in the first round. His corner did an amazing job of calming him down, walking him step by step through what he needed to do.

“And his takedown defence is ridiculous. It looked incredible against Jacare (Souza), it looked unbelievable against a guy like Yoel Romero tonight.”

As for the Bisping match-up? “Whittaker is 26-years-old, incredibly talented, incredibly well-rounded (and) he has an amazing team behind him,” White said.

“Bisping doesn’t get enough credit for how tough and durable he is ... he puts pressure on you, he can punch, he can kick, he can wrestle and he’s got good submission. So it’s an interesting fight. Then you have England versus Australia which is always fun. So I love that fight.”