UFC 225 Results: Whittaker Narrowly Retains Over Romero

Tonight (Sat. June 9, 2018) the UFC returned to Chicago, Illinois for their UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) event. In the main event of the evening, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker retained his strap against Yoel Romero in a non-title fight after the Cuban missed weight by .2 pounds.

In the co-featured bout of the evening, Colby Covington captured the interim welterweight championship from Rafael dos Anjos. Also, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm defeated Megan Anderson at 145 pounds.

Heavyweights Andrei Arlovski and Tai Tuivasa did battle inside the cage, and former WWE Champion CM Punk attempted to get his first mixed martial arts (MMA) victory against Mike Jackson.

Check out MMA News’ full UFC 225 PPV coverage here below:

Main Card:

  • Middleweight: (C) Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero (non-title fight)

Round 1:

Romero lands a big lead hook and Whittaker falls down after hitting a low kick. A right hand lands inside the pocket for Whittaker and he follows up with a hard head kick that is blocked. A kick to the body lands for Whittaker and he connects on a right hand. A bit spinning back fist from Romero misses to end the round.

Round 2:

An overhand from Whittaker grazes Romero and the Cuban fires back with a kick to the body. Whittaker is staying busy with hooks, head-kicks and elbows but nothing is landing cleanly. Romero misses on a wild hook and Whittaker lands a kick to the body. A big head kick backs Romero up even though it was mostly blocked. Romero’s right eye is badly swollen. Romero lands an uppercut inside the clinch and Whittaker stuffs a takedown attempt. The round comes to an end.

Round 3:

A big leg kick from Whittaker buckles Romero. A big hook from Romero wobbles Whittaker and he falls backwards. Romero tosses Whittaker down and is going for ground-and-pound. Whittaker gets up but is dazed. Romero has Whittaker clinched against the cage. Romero continues to pour it on with hooks and elbows. Whittaker is responding with some sharp elbows of his own. This is crazy.

Romero is laying on Whittaker against the cage and seems to have spent his energy. A spinning elbow lands for Whittaker. A knee to the body lands for Whittaker but he eats a jab from Romero. Romero pouring on some big strikes against the cage now and Whittaker runs out in a circle. Whittaker with a big head kick that connects. Romero is coming at him hard with a flurry of big strikes but they’re both exhausted and rocked.

Round 4:

Side kick to the body lands for Whittaker and he follows up with a nice head kick. A low blow from Whittaker to Romero temporarily stops the action. Whittaker stops throwing his right hand, so it may be injured. Some shots from both men landing but Whittaker seems to be the fresher of the two. A big hook from Romero and Whittaker wobbles hard but regroups . A big left lands for Romero now. The round comes to an end.

Round 5:

A big right hand lands for Whittaker to open up the round. Whittaker lands two nice jabs in a row and Whittaker attacks the lead knee. A big jab now lands for Romero and Whittaker continues his assault on the knee. A big hook for Romero lands and he follows up with ground-and-pound. Whittaker is in deep trouble and is hanging onto Romero’s leg for dear life, hiding his head. Whittaker gets to his feet and Romero lands another shot. Romero gets the takedown, but Whittaker is back up again. The round comes to an end.

Official Result: Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

  • Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington (for the interim welterweight title)

Round 1:

Covington is bringing the pressure to RDA and immediately takes him down. RDA is on his knees against the cage trying to get up. RDA is cut on his ear and Covington is glued to him. RDA is back to his feet now and separates. Covington swings wildly but misses. Some leg kicks from RDA and Covington again comes inside on a takedown against the cage. RDA is able to separate but Covington is continuing to pressure him. RDA lands a shot on the inside that makes Covington fall on him.

Covington again presses up RDA against the cage and works a takedown. They exchange elbows before separating. Leg kicks from Covington now. Covington is unable to find his range and eats an RDA body ick. Another takedown attempt from Covington now. More pressure from Covington to end the round, but RDA’s shots are having an affect on him.

Round 2:

Covington hits a head kick to open the round and blitzes RDA. He clinches up with RDA against the cage but it breaks up after a few seconds. Another takedown attempt from Covington against the cage. He’s able to get him down but can’t hold him there. They exchange strikes and Covington lands an uppercut before shooting in again. More shots from Covington and he finally gets RDA down to the ground with seconds left. Some follow-up ground-and-pound before RDA gets to his feet again. The round comes to an end.

Round 3:

Covington comes in with the pressure again and goes for another takedown attempt. They separate and Covington lands an uppercut and a leg kick. Covington backs RDA against the cage again and is in on another takedown. A nice knee to the body lands for RDA and Covington gets him down but only for a moment. They separate and a low blow from Covington stops the action.

Some shots land for Covington inside the clinch and he backs up RDA some more before going in on another takedown. Covington blitzes forward on RDA with some big hooks and again clinches up. They separate, Covington again lands some shots before getting RDA down to one knee with a takedown attempt. Kick to the body lands for Covington and he again goes in on a takedown against the cage. The round comes to an end.

Round 4:

Covington comes in fast but eats a big hook from RDA. Covington is okay and continues to strike. A big right hand lands for RDA but Covington is still walking him down. A big takedown for Covington but RDA is right back up. RDA comes in on a takedown and easily gets it. Covington rolls over and is on the bottom of a sprawling position. He stands up and now works a takedown of his own against the cage but separates. RDA again comes in on a takedown and gets it but Covington holds him underneath his arm and sits against the cage. He stands up but RDA is still pressed against him on the cage.

Covington separates and is back to striking now. He comes forward with a few swings and presses RDA against the cage for a few moments before they separate. RDA in on a takedown now but it’s stuffed, and Covington has RDA against the cage again. Some hooks and a nice straight land for Covington but RDA responds with some of his own before Covington shoots in again. A nice single leg from Covington with seconds left in the round. The round comes to an end.

Round 5:

Covington comes forward again and is immediately on the hunt for a takedown. He gets the back clinch on RDA and delivers some knees to the back of the thigh. They separate and RDA goes for a flying knee but it only grazes Covington. Covington gets a takedown but RDA is back up quickly again. Another takedown attempt from Covington again against the cage. A back clinch for Covington but they separate. Covington is back on the pressure against the cage. They separate and Covington eats a jab. He eats a big hook that makes him stumble but they clinch up again and Covington goes in on another takedown against the cage. RDA pulls guard in attempt to lock up a kimura but Covington scrambles out of it. They swing wildly in the final seconds before Covington comes in on a failed takedown attempt. A body kick from RDA and a few hooks from Covington land to end the round.

Official Result: Colby Covington def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)

  • Women’s featherweight: Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson

Round 1:

Holm has Anderson against the cage and lands a quick elbow. A knee to the gut lands for Holm and Anderson fires back with one of her own. A few shots from Holm who is pressed up against Anderson on the cage, before they separate. Holm comes in for a 1-2, but Anderson responds with an uppercut. A beautiful front kick to the face lands for Holm and she shoots in. Anderson ties her up but Holm is able to get to side control. Half guard for Holm now and the round comes to an end.

Round 2:

Again Holm presses Anderson against the cage but she’s able to separate. Holm gets a takedown and is right into half guard. Holm into side control now and then into full mount. Holm is landing some big shots from top position and is also looking to set up an arm triangle. Holm postures up and drops down some more ground-and-pound. More ground-and-pound for Holm and she’s dropping some vicious elbows. The round comes to an end.

Round 3:

Holm lands a nice kick to the body and follows up with a leg kick. A nice 1-2 combo lands for Holm but Anderson continues to press forward. A takedown attempt from Holm now against the cage and finally gets it. She gets the full mount but can’t hold it long as Anderson gets back up. Holm gets the fight right back to the ground and is in half guard. Side control for Holm now and she’s dropping down elbows. Holm gets full mount now and continues her assault. Some nice ground-and-pound from Holm here and Anderson scrambles into side control. The fight comes to an end.

Official Result: Holly Holm def. Megan Anderson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

  • Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa

Round 1:

Tuivasa comes forward and Arlovski steps in and lands a knee that catches him off balance. A right hand lands for Arlovski and he continues to catch Tuivasa a bit. Arlovski clinches Tuivasa against the cage and rips off an elbow. Tuivasa now explodes with knees and hooks. A high kick from Tuivasa misses and he slips to the ground. Arlovski tries to fall on him but he fails. They stand up and trade to end the round.

Round 2:

A front kick to the body lands for Arlovski. He follows up with a leg kick and Tuivasa comes inside with a nice combination. Arlovski landing some good shots now but Tuivasa eats them. Arlovski just misses a high kick and Tuivasa lands a nice couple of hooks. Tuivasa attacks the body before returning upstairs. Arlovski throws Tuivasa down but he shoots right back up. An eye poke stops the action after Arlovski calls it himself. Minimal action resumes before the round ends.

Round 3:

Tuivasa dodges a few kicks before grazing Arlovski with a big overhand. A right hook and left lands for Tuivasa. They clinch up but Tuivasa separates. A high kick from Arlovski just misses. Again they clinch but Tuivasa separates. Tuivasa now comes inside hard and wobbles Arlovski. Arlovski is able to circle out of the cage but eats another clean combo. A spinning attack from Arlovski misses as both men wind down. A low kick from Tuivasa lands and he follows up with another combo. The round ends.

Official Result: Tai Tuivasa def. Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

  • Welterweight: CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson

Round 1:

Punk misses on a low kick and eats a nice 1-2 from Jackson. Punk connects and comes in on a takedown attempt against the cage. Jackson gets dominant position and they separate. Punk connects on a 1-2 and they separate after clinching briefly. Punk again clinches Jackson against the cage, but Jackson is back to dominant position. Some knees to the body from Punk now. Punk very nearly got the takedown but Jackson stuffs it.

Again he works one against the cage. Jackson back to dominant position now. Punk is moving gingerly and misses on another takedown attempt. Fatigue is setting in for Punk and his strikes are getting sloppy. Punk gets the takedown and is right into half guard. Punk drops some elbows but Jackson is back to his feet and attempts to unload against the cage but doesn’t get more than a few shots off. The round comes to an end.

Round 2:

Jackson circles out of a Punk combo. Another takedown attempt from Punk and Jackson takes dominant position back and separates. Punk throws some hooks to get him off the cage but gets a big right hand from Jackson that backs him up. Punk hooks Jackson’s neck and attempts to pull guard. Jackson drops to the floor in Punk’s full guard.

Jackson postures up but he is playing with Punk, waving his hands and picking his shots. Jackson is landing some shots and Punk nearly gets in position for a triangle choke but can’t get it. Again Jackson postures up to toy with Punk and lands a few shots. He does this for a while and the round comes to an end. Punk is exhausted.

Round 3:

Jackson has Punk against the age now. He separates and defends another takedown attempt from Punk. Jackson falls on Punk but stands up and tells him to do the same. Both men are tired now, but Punk is even more and a bit hurt as well. Punk has Jackson against the cage on a takedown now. Jackson lands a hard 1-2 and clinches Punk up. Punk looks nearly finished hear with two minutes to go. Jackson has the back clinch now and is throwing down shots. Punk goes for a rolling kneebar but fails. Now Jackson is in side control but Punk rolls over to give up his back. The fight comes to an end.

Official Result: Mike Jackson def. CM Punk via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Preliminary Card:

  • Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes def. Alistair Overeem via R3 TKO (elbows, 2:56)
  • Women’s strawweight: Cláudia Gadelha def. Carla Esparza via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Featherweight: Mirsad Bektic def. Ricardo Lamas via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Heavyweight: Chris de la Rocha def. Rashad Coulter via R2 TKO (punches, 3:53)

UFC Fight Pass Exclusive Prelims:

  • Light heavyweight: Anthony Smith def. Rashad Evans via R1 KO (knee, 0:53)
  • Flyweight: Sergio Pettis def. Joseph Benavidez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Lightweight: Charles Oliveira def. Clay Guida via. R1 submission (guillotine, 2:18)
  • Featherweight: Dan Ige def. Mike Santiago via R1 TKO (punches, 0:50)
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