On Saturday night, the UFC returns to Australia for UFC 221. In the main event, an interim Middleweight championship is on the line when Yoel Romero (12-2 MMA; 8-1 UFC) faces former champion Luke Rockhold (16-3 MMA; 6-2 UFC). Due to Romero missing weight, only Rockhold is eligible to win the title. The UFC rankings have this as a battle between the division’s #1 and #2 contenders, with Romero in the top spot. UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold airs live from Perth, Australia this Saturday night, February 10. The main card airs on PPV with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT, with the prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and 6:30 p.m. ET on Fight Pass.
This was expected to be a homecoming fight for Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, taking on Rockhold. But health issues for Whittaker forced him out and Romero stepped in for an interim title fight. This is actually a really interesting and compelling fight - unfortunately between being a replacement fight and headlining an overall weak PPV, this one is not going to get much love.
How do these two stack up?
Romero: 40 years old | 6’0" | 73" reach
Rockhold: 33 years old | 6’3" | 77" reach
What have these two done recently?
Romero: L - Robert Whittaker (UD) | W - Chris Weidman (KO) | W - Jacare Souza (SD)
Rockhold: W - David Branch (Sub) | L - Michael Bisping (KO) | W - Chris Weidman (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Yoel Romero is a unique fighter - one of the most physically gifted competitors out there today. He’s an amazing amateur wrestler who has added a nasty striking game to his mix, highlighted by his brutal flying knee KO of Chris Weidman at UFC 205. Romero is dangerous at all times, just as capable of winning the fight in the 3rd as in the 1st. His strength of schedule is tremendous: he comes in on a streak of Tim Kennedy, Lyoto Machida, Jacare, Weidman, Whittaker. That’s impressive (though it has to be said that he also served a USADA suspension in there). But the Soldier of God came to the sport late, and at age 40, his time at the top is surely winding down. Romero weighed in over 2 pounds over the 185 pound Middleweight limit for this fight, so is ineligible for winning the interim belt.
Luke Rockhold rose to prominence in Strikeforce. He entered that organization at just 1-1, but quickly moved up the ranks, winning their Middleweight title from Jacare in his 9th pro fight. He never lost that belt, and was the champ when Strikeforce closed shop. His UFC debut did not go well, as he was KO’d by Vitor Belfort, but he bounced back, eventually claiming the UFC title from Weidman in 2015. His first defense was a huge upset loss to Michael Bisping, and he’s just 1-0 in the 20 months since. Rockhold is a longtime AKA trainee now working with Henri Hooft, and has evolved over the years to add a more traditional martial arts-based striking game to his already strong submission game.
Why should you care?
This is a great fight that’s very hard to call. It really is two of the division’s absolute elite today and has the potential for a big finish - I’m really looking forward to this one.