Yoel Romero Says Middleweight Title Fight vs. Robert Whittaker Set for UFC 225

The middleweight championship clash between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero appears to have a date and venue.

During an appearance on "The JRE MMA Show” with Joe Rogan, Romero revealed that the bout has been booked for UFC 225 at the United Center in Chicago on June 9. The Las Vegas-based promotion has yet to make a formal announcement regarding the matchup, but the fight had been previously reported by both ESPN.com and BJPenn.com.

The title tilt is expected to serve as the UFC 225 main event. The card will also see Alistair Overeem meet Curtis Blaydes at heavyweight, while Joseph Benavidez will return to take on Sergio Pettis in a flyweight scrap. Phil Brooks has also been rumored to make his Octagon return at the event, though that has not been confirmed.

Whittaker and Romero first fought at UFC 213, with Whittaker claiming the interim 185-pound title with a five-round decision. The Australian was then elevated to undisputed champion after Georges St. Pierre vacated the title. He was supposed to defend the belt against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 but had to pull out due to injury.

Romero stepped up in his place and scored a massive third-round knockout over Rockhold. However, “The Soldier of God” missed weight prior to the bout so he was ineligible to win the middleweight crown. Nonetheless, his impressive performance still earned him a rematch with Whittaker.