TOP Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight fighters Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero (#1) and Luke Rockhold (#2) take headlining duties at “UFC 221” in Perth, Australia, on Sunday as they dispute the interim title in the division.
Coming off opposing directions heading into the clash, the two fighters are out to backstop their claim as worthy contenders for the middleweight gold currently held by Robert Whittaker, the erstwhile interim champion who was promoted to the undisputed titleholder spot after reigning champion Georges St-Pierre decided to vacate his throne late last year.
Mr. Romero (12-2) lost in his last fight against Mr. Whittaker for the interim title last July by unanimous decision.
It was a very competitive fight as the two fighters brought their A-game to get their hands on the prize.
In the end, however, it was Mr. Whittaker that got the judges’ nod albeit narrowly, 48-47, 48-47 and 48-47.
Former middleweight champion Rockhold (16-3), meanwhile, had a successful return in his last fight after losing his title previously.
American Rockhold stopped David Branch in the second round of their encounter last September by way of submission (punches).
“I’m looking forward to the challenge against Yoel. And I’m up for it and I’m going for the win and claim the title,” Mr. Rockhold said in the lead-up to UFC 221, which will be held at the Perth Arena.
Mr. Rockhold was crowned UFC middleweight champion in December 2015 following a technical knockout win (punches) over Chris Weidman only to be dethroned six months later by Michael Bisping by knockout in the first round.
Serving as co-main event for UFC 221 is heavyweight battle of Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt (#5) against Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (#9).
Also on tap in the main card are heavyweight Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa against Cyril “Silverback” Asker, welterweight Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews versus Li “The Leech” Jingliang, and light heavyweight Tyson Pedro (#13) vs. Saparbe Safarov.
UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold will be shown live on Sunday, Feb. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Encore telecast is at 7 p.m. on the same day.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
