UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker. July 8, 2017. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (International Fight Week). Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to win the interim UFC Middleweight Championship. It was an instant classic — five brutal rounds that saw both fighters hurt, rocked, and nearly finished. Whittaker became the first Australian UFC champion.
Hours before the event, the planned main event — Amanda Nunes defending the WBW title against Valentina Shevchenko — was cancelled after Nunes was hospitalised with illness. The Romero-Whittaker interim MW title fight was elevated to main event. PPV buyrate: 130,000 — a measure of the card’s depleted billing.
Alistair Overeem defeated Fabricio Werdum in the co-main by MD. Michael Bisping entered the cage after Whittaker’s win to call him out and hype the unification fight. Bisping was 38 years old and MW champion with an injury.
Contents
Quick Stats
Date: July 8, 2017 (UFC International Fight Week)
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
PPV: 130,000 buys (severely impacted by last-minute main event cancellation)
Cancelled: Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko — WBW Championship (Nunes hospitalised hours before; reschedule to UFC 215)
Main Event: Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker — Interim MW Championship (elevated from co-main)
Result: Whittaker def. Romero — UD (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) — Whittaker first Australian UFC champion; both rocked multiple times; Bisping cage callout post-fight
Also cancelled: Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw BW title (Garbrandt back injury May 23)
Bonuses: FOTN: Whittaker/Romero ($50k each); POTN: Rob Font + Chad Laprise ($50k each)
The Build-Up
Whittaker had won eight consecutive fights in the UFC to earn the title shot, a run that included wins over Urijah Hall, Derek Brunson, and Rafael Natal. Romero was a former Olympian wrestler (2000 silver medallist) and explosively physical fighter who had stopped all his UFC opponents until being controversially beaten by Chris Weidman (the ‘knees’ fight at UFC 210). This was Romero’s path back to the title.
The pre-event narrative shifted entirely when Nunes was taken to hospital on fight day. Shevchenko had been preparing for months. Nunes was medically cleared but felt unable to compete. The UFC scrambled to restructure. The PPV’s headline act was gone; Whittaker and Romero became the new headliner.
Main Event
Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker — Interim MW Championship
Both fighters spent round one with heavy leg kicks, measuring distance. Whittaker controlled with his jab and movement. Round two: Romero landed a right hand that rocked Whittaker severely; Romero swarmed and appeared close to finishing. Whittaker survived, holding on in the clinch.
Rounds three through five went to Whittaker. He came back with pressure and volume, took Romero down in round four, landed elbows in mount, and nearly finished him with ground-and-pound. Romero was gassed and badly hurt. Whittaker ended the fight on top of Romero with a vicious elbow. The scores: 48-47, 48-47, 48-47. Bisping entered the cage post-fight and traded verbal shots with Whittaker.
Co-Main Event
Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum — Heavyweight
Overeem had beaten Werdum by KO in 2011. Werdum had gone on to win the UFC HW title. Their rematch was competitive across three rounds. Werdum’s grappling was effective in R1 and R2; Overeem’s striking control. One judge drew it; two gave it to Overeem. Majority decision: 28-28, 29-28, 29-28.
Full Results
CANCELLED — WBW Championship
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko — CANCELLED — WBW Championship; Nunes hospitalised on fight day; rescheduled to UFC 215
Preliminary Card
Trevin Giles def. James Bochnovic — KO — R2, 2:54 — WW
Cody Stamann def. Terrion Ware — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — BW
Belal Muhammad def. Jordan Mein — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) — WW
Thiago Santos def. Gerald Meerschaert — TKO — R2, 2:04 — MW; Santos continuing MW rise
Chad Laprise def. Brian Camozzi — TKO — R3, 1:27 — WW; POTN ($50k)
Aleksei Oleinik def. Travis Browne — Sub (RNC) — R2, 3:44 — HW
Main Card
Rob Font def. Douglas Silva de Andrade — Sub (Guillotine) — R2, 4:36 — BW; POTN ($50k); Font moved to main card after main event cancellation
Anthony Pettis def. Jim Miller — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — LW
Curtis Blaydes def. Daniel Omielanczuk — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — HW
Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum — Decision (Majority) — R3 (28-28, 29-28, 29-28) — HW; Co-Main
Interim MW Championship — Main Event
Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 5:00 (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) — Interim MW Championship; FOTN ($50k each); first Australian UFC champion; Whittaker rocked R2; came back R3-R5
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Rob Font + Chad Laprise — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Robert Whittaker — first Australian UFC champion in a major division. His next fight was against Michael Bisping at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia (February 2018). Whittaker stopped Bisping by TKO in round two to become the undisputed MW champion.
The Nunes vs. Shevchenko bout was rescheduled to UFC 215 in Edmonton (September 2017). Nunes won by split decision in a controversial result.
Legacy & Impact
The Romero-Whittaker fight at UFC 213 is one of those rare MW performances that reshaped who the division’s best was. Whittaker absorbed an Olympian’s power in round two, came off the canvas of his own survival instinct, and came back to dominate rounds three through five with pressure and ground-and-pound. From UFC 213 forward, Whittaker was clearly the MW division’s best fighter not named Bisping.
The Nunes hospitalisation remains one of the most consequential day-of-event cancellations in UFC history. Shevchenko, who had been preparing for months and felt she was ready to win the title, was denied the opportunity for reasons entirely outside her control.
FAQ
Why was the Nunes vs. Shevchenko fight cancelled at UFC 213?
Amanda Nunes was hospitalised on fight day with an illness. UFC president Dana White stated that doctors had physically cleared her to fight but Nunes felt too ill to compete. The bout was cancelled hours before the event started and rescheduled for UFC 215 in September 2017.
Was Whittaker-Romero 1 a close fight?
Yes. All three judges scored it 48-47 for Whittaker — the narrowest possible margin across five rounds. Romero had Whittaker in serious trouble in round two and nearly finished him. Whittaker dominated rounds three through five with pressure and ground-and-pound, nearly finishing a gassed Romero in round four.
Was Robert Whittaker the first Australian UFC champion?
Yes. Whittaker, born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, became the first Australian UFC champion in a major division when he defeated Romero at UFC 213. His subsequent unification win over Bisping at UFC 221 in Perth confirmed him as the undisputed MW champion in front of his home crowd.
Did Bisping vs. Whittaker happen after UFC 213?
Yes. Michael Bisping entered the cage after Whittaker’s win to talk trash and hype the unification. They met at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia on February 10, 2018. Whittaker won by TKO in round two, with Bisping suffering his third consecutive defeat.
Why was UFC 213’s PPV so low?
UFC 213 drew only approximately 130,000 PPV buys, one of the UFC’s lowest of 2017. The card had lost three of its anticipated main-card fights: Nunes-Shevchenko on fight day, Garbrandt-Dillashaw due to injury in May, and a previously planned Lawler-Cerrone bout that was moved to UFC 214.
References
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