The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title hasn’t dropped the interim tag after all.
Middleweight title holder Robert Whittaker was set to defend his gold against Luke Rockhold. The bout was going to headline UFC 221 inside Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia. It wasn’t meant to be as ESPN brought word of an injury to Whittaker, which has forced him off the card.
“The Reaper” released the following statement:
“I’m beyond disappointed that I’m unable to defend the title in my home country of Australia. I hope the fans enjoy what should be a great night of fights at UFC 221, and I look forward to a recovery as soon as possible that will have me back in the Octagon to face the winner of the main event.”
Yoel Romero has stepped up to take on Rockhold. The bout will now be contested for the interim UFC middleweight title. The winner will meet Whittaker in a title unification bout.
