UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker was forced to go through a five-round battle at UFC 225, but in the end he left the octagon with another narrow victory over Yoel Romero.

In the non-title headliner, Whittaker (20-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) edged Romero (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) by split decision in what will go down as a “Fight of the Year” candidate. The fight was competitive from the jump, and after a 25-minute rollercoaster, Whittaker was awarded the victory.

He didn’t come out of the bout unscathed, though. Whittaker suffered a broken hand, and possibly a leg injury, as well. He was transported to a local hospital in Chicago after the fight, and did not have the opportunity to speak with the media.

Today, however, Whittaker shared his first comments on social media. He reflected on the “hardest fight” of his career, and also provided a reminder that he could have easily not competed after Romero missed weight for the contest (via Instagram):

Let me start with showing respect to @yoelromeromma and his team. That was the hardest fight of my career and it was a war. Last night was my night though and I must say thanks to all the people that made it possible for me to go out there and perform. Thanks to my coaches Fabricio Itte, Alex Prates, Justin Fitzgerald, Justin Lang and Stu McKinnon for the work they put in day in day out. Also huge shout out to the boys and girls at @graciejiujitsusmeatongrange , @standstrongboxing , @liveathletic_ep and @bulldoggymcastlehill . Thank you to my manager Titus Day @6_degrees_group for making all the extra work run smoothly so I can have full focus on the fight. Thank you to all my sponsors @kaplan_homes @musclemealsdirect @musashinutrition @20foursports @bethesda @unibet . Lastly a big thanks to my family, friends and Fans, especially my wife @sofiamareewhittaker for looking after me and making this week real easy. I didn’t need to take the fight but I told you I would give you fireworks…hope you liked them

UFC 225 took place at United Center in Chicago. Whittaker vs. Romero co-headlined the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Whittaker was forced to fight through injury and also received multiple knockdowns in the bout. He overcame it all, though, and lasted until the final bell, where the decision was left in the hands of the judges.

“The Reaper” is currently on a nine-fight winning streak and has netted five fight-night bonuses in his past four UFC appearances. (Saturday, he also collected Romero’s “Fight of the Night” bonus portion since Romero was ineligible due to the weight infraction.) It might be a while before Whittaker is seen back in the octagon, though, since the 185-pound champ will clearly need time to recover from his classic encounter with Romero.

For complete coverage of UFC 225, check out the UFC Events section of the site.