Robert Whittaker’s first official title defense will come against the man he beat to win the interim middleweight championship at UFC 213: Yoel Romero.
Whittaker, 27, suffered a leg injury during that fight but soldiered on to win a unanimous decision. The surging middleweight was expected to defend the belt against Luke Rockhold on home soil in Perth, Australia, but was forced to withdraw after suffering a nasty staph infection and a bout of chicken pox.
That’s when Romero, 40, stepped in as his replacement and went on to KO Rockhold in the third round at UFC 221.