The stage is set for an interim title bout between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker.
UFC 213 was supposed to be headlined by a bantamweight title bout between champion Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw. A back injury has forced Garbrandt off the card and we now have a new co-headliner.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White confirmed to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that Romero vs. Whittaker will take place at the event for the interim middleweight gold. UFC 213 goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8.
You can see Okamoto’s tweet below:
BREAKING: @danawhite tells me interim middleweight title fight between @YoelRomeroMMA and @RJWhittaker1990 will co-headline UFC 213.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 23, 2017
The UFC had hoped that 185-pound champion Michael Bisping would be able to compete in July against Georges St-Pierre. “Rush’s” middleweight title opportunity was no longer and “The Count” won’t be healed in time for UFC 213.
Romero has been on a tear since entering the UFC. He’s 8-0 under the promotion and is ranked number one on the official UFC middleweight rankings. Whittaker recently stunned the mixed martial arts (MMA) world with his second-round TKO victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. He’s now on a seven-fight winning streak.
UFC 213 will also feature a women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Welterweights Robbie Lawler and Donald Cerrone will do battle on the card as well as Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.
