UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker will face Yoel Romero in what was supposed to be a title bout, but given his opponent missed weight, will now serve as the non-title main event, while Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington will face off for the promotion’s interim welterweight belt at UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2 on Saturday.
Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
And if that weren’t enough, the card will also see the return of CM Punk in his second ever mixed martial arts bout.
The prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass, and continue at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. The pay-per-view main card is set to begin at 10 p.m. Online streaming of the prelims can be had via fuboTV, UFC Fight Pass, and Fox Sports GO. Live streaming of the pay-per-view can be purchased from the UFC directly at UFC.TV and their YouTube channel.
Whittaker won the interim middleweight bout when he bested Romero via unanimous decision in July 2017, and was promoted to undisputed champion when Georges St-Pierre vacated the belt. The first bout between Whittaker and Romero was a good one, and was given Fight of the Night honors for UFC 213.
Since his loss to Whittaker the first time out, Romero has scored a knockout victory over Luke Rockhold in a bout that was also supposed to be for an interim belt, but Romero missed weight and became ineligible for the title despite his win. He came in at 187.7 pounds for that contest.
Romero again missed weight prior to UFC 225 and cannot win the title on Saturday, even with a win.
Punk made his MMA debut at UFC 203 in September 2016, losing to Mickey Gall by first-round submission. He’s been training since then, and faces Mike Jackson on Saturday. Jackson was originally brought into the UFC as a potential opponent for Punk, but was defeated by Gall. Both Punk and Jackson have 0-1 records at the hands of a rear-naked choke from Gall.
Dos Anjos is coming off three consecutive wins, including a five-round decision over Robbie Lawler in December 2017. Covington has won five consecutive fights, including decisions over Demian Maia and Dong Hun Kim.
Below, you can find all the streaming and viewing information you need as well as the full official UFC 225 fight card.
All Times Eastern
How to watch UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2
Date: Saturday, June 9
Time: Prelims 1 at 6 p.m.; prelims 2 at 8 p.m.; main card at 10 p.m.
Location: United Center, Chicago
TV: Fox Sports 1, pay-per-view
Online Streaming: fuboTV, UFC Fight Pass, UFC.TV, UFC YouTube, Fox Sports GO
UFC 225 Full Fight Card
PPV Main Card (10 p.m.)
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero
Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington
Women’s Featherweight: Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa
Welterweight: CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
Fox Sports 1 Preliminary Card (8 p.m.)
Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes
Women’s Strawweight: Cláudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza
Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas vs. Mirsad Bektić
Heavyweight: Rashad Coulter vs. Chris de la Rocha
Fight Pass Preliminary Card (6 p.m.)
Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evans vs. Anthony Smith
Flyweight: Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
Lightweight: Clay Guida vs. Charles Oliveira
Featherweight: Mike Santiago vs. Dan Ige
