In the song “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” Kanye West asks, “When you talk about classics, do my name get brought up?” Whittaker could do the same in regards to this performance when people are discussing the best championship efforts inside the Octagon.
Romero is a different type of athlete — a mass of muscle and explosive power; an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling who entered this fight with a perfect 8-0 record in the UFC, including stoppage wins over former champions Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman.
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Whittaker had won seven straight, the last six coming following his move up from welterweight. Shifting to the 185-pound ranks allowed the technical striker the opportunity to make greater use of his speed and tactical approach, which yielded back-to-back stoppage wins over Derek Brunson and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
With Bisping on the sidelines waiting for a November engagement with Georges St-Pierre, Whittaker and Romero met for the interim middleweight title at UFC 213, and after falling behind 0-2 to start the fight, the man affectionately known as Bobby Knuckles orchestrated one of the best come-from-behind championship victories in UFC history.
Despite dealing with a knee injury, Whittaker took the fight to Romero to begin the third, working behind long kicks up the middle and sharp boxing. His movement was excellent and he sprawled well the few times Romero looked to wrestle, with the muscular Cuban looking tired when he returned to the corner at the end of the round.
WATCH: Whittaker Talks With Bisping After His Win Over Gastelum
The fourth opened with Whittaker fending off Romero in a grappling exchange, avoiding any real damage despite Romero controlling him for the opening 90 seconds. In the second half of the round, the Australian pushed the pace, defended well, and dominated the striking exchanges, drawing level heading into the final frame.
Romero was more active and effective in the fifth, stinging Whittaker early in the round, but once again, “The Reaper” adjusted and went on the offensive, picking at Romero every time he came forward, sniping with short, sharp blows before closing out the frame by driving home elbows from top position.
Through the first two rounds, it was all Romero, but the rest of the way, Whittaker was the better man, earning the unanimous decision with scores of 48-47 across the board.
