MMAjunkie Radio co-host and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom provides an in-depth breakdown of UFC 225’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event.

UFC 225 takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago, and the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

* * * *

Robert Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’0″ Age: 27 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 73″
• Last fight: Decision win over Yoel Romero (July 8, 2017)
• Camp: PMA Super Martial Arts Centre (Australia)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:
+ UFC middleweight champion
+ Hapkido and karate black belt
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ 10 KO victories
+ 5 submission wins
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Good footwork and distance management
^ Quickly and deceptively blitzes
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Unique angles and off-beat attacks
^ Drops opponents rhythm
+ Excellent wrestling ability
+ Improved overall grappling
+/-2-0 against UFC southpaws

Yoel Romero (13-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’0″ Age: 41 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 73″
• Last fight: Knockout win over Luke Rockhold (Feb. 10, 2018)
• Camp: American Top Team (Florida)
• Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Olympic silver medalist (wrestling)
+ Multiple wrestling accolades
+ 11 KO victories
+ 4 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Incredibly athletic and agile
^ Closes distance quickly
+ Deceptive tempo changes
+ Variates looks and attack levels
^ Dangerous flying knees off fakes
+ Accurate left cross and right hook
+ Good head movement
+ Superb wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Difficult to control in transit
^ Springs and scrambles to safety

Summary:

The main event for UFC 225 features a rematch for the middleweight title between champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Yoel Romero.

Whittaker, who initially earned the interim middleweight title last summer by defeating Romero, has since become the official champion after Georges St-Pierre stopped by the division to dethrone Michael Bisping, vacating his spot at the top soon after due to health issues. But unfortunately for Whittaker, St-Pierre was not the only champion who had compromised health.

Shortly after being scheduled to defend the belt against Luck Rockhold at UFC 221, Whittaker was forced to withdraw because of a bad staph infection, an event that allowed for Romero to step in for a shot at another interim title. Though the Cuban challenger failed to make weight against Rockhold, his knockout win over the former champ was enough to secure him another shot at the current one.

Starting off on the feet, we will get another look at two dangerous strikers who – despite their difference in age – are among the fastest of their contemporaries.

Coming from a traditional martial arts base, Whittaker has developed into one of the most unique strikers in the division.

Using a combination of speed, accuracy, and a fluid economy of movement, the Australian will deceptively blitz off different angles. Like many karate-based strikers, Whittaker will feint or show a certain speed to draw his opponent into a false sense of security, only to disrupt the perceived timing with off-beat strikes.

As we saw in their first meeting, Whittaker was able to accomplish this through a series of rear-legged front kicks that he used to launch himself into variations of left hooks and shifting overhand shots that found their mark on Romero. Considering that we should have a healthier Whittaker this time around, I will be curious to see if the champ utilizes more of his usual follow-up kicks that come off the same side of his crosses – another nod from his traditional martial arts base.

Regardless of Whittaker’s status and approach, he will still need to maintain just as much respect for Romero he did in his last outing.

One of the most intimidating characters in any division, Romero not only carries the physique of a superhero, but he can move like one too. From the springboard-like aerial assaults he uses to misdirect his opponent’s attention to the immediate explosions he hits once touching down on the ground, Romero is one of the most deceptive distance closers in the game.

Using changes in tempo to lull his opposition into a false state of security, Romero can quickly change gears at the drop of a dime, which is probably why most of his opponents are more gun-shy when facing him.

The 41-year-old Cuban consistently layers his craft, often getting in on a takedown only to abandon ship at the last second. Typically, this will shake up the defensive radar of a Romero foe, making the takedown a real threat and focus. And as soon as he can get his opponent to drop their level in anticipation for a shot, the former Olympian will then fake low to explode high, unleashing hell in the form of flying knees.

Although Romero’s athleticism and agility allow him to conduct himself like a video-game character, he tends to make his money like many southpaws, packing powerful left crosses and right hooks. Coupled with the oblique kicks that he now attaches to said punches, Romero proved to be disruptive when trying to buy both time and distance his their last meeting, a predicament that I’m sure both camps are planing around.

Considering how competitive the striking stanzas were in their last affair, I would not be surprised to see this fight – in some shape or form – hinge upon who is the successor in grappling exchanges. And given what’s on paper, it’s still hard to deny Romero an edge in that category.

Despite the former Olympian mainly using takedowns as defensive triggers or strike setups, we have seen Romero return to his wrestling roots when facing striking threats before.

Against Brad Tavares, Romero used takedowns to disrupt the Hawaiian’s striking rhythm, eventually taking rounds en route to a decision win. And as we saw with Whittaker, Romero hit well-timed takedowns early on in the fight that helped him score rounds in the process.

Even though Romero’s gas tank can be a contributing factor as to why he loses progress down the stretch, you can’t deny the presence of the ever-improving wrestling of Whittaker – one of the leaders in this new era of counter-grappling.

Aside from the fact that his footwork makes it difficult for his opponents to set up their shots, Whittaker also shows the small technical intricacies that make him difficult to ground or hold down when grasped.

For example, while most fighters are reliant on more traditional defenses such as sprawls or battles for under-hooks, they typically end up losing out to superior grapplers as these defensive tactics involve a commitment to contact, which in turn can lead to more grappling. Whereas Whittaker, though capable to using though defensives, does not rely on them. Instead, the Australian prefers to head off takedown attempts at the pass.

Already possessing a strong base and balance, Whittaker’s hip and grip awareness have also improved. Not only does the 27-year-old utilize grip breaks and wrist controls, but he also is disciplined about consistently circling out to his opponent’s weak side, which in turn helps dissuade re-shots and takedown chain adjustments from his foes. Even Romero had difficulty grasping or chaining off his initial attempts due to Whittaker’s persistence to fight hands.

What is even more impressive, is Whittaker’s ability to go from thwarting takedown attempts to striking off of the breaks, something that also helped keep Romero honest in exchanges with him. Still, anytime Whittaker ends up on his back, he will be in Romero’s proverbial danger zone.

As we saw in his fight with Lyoto Machida, Romero needs all but one dominant position to punctuate his presence emphatically. Whittaker displayed a conservative, well-played guard against Romero last summer, but I’m sure he will even admit that it’s not a vacation spot worth re-visiting.

The oddsmakers and public seem to be siding with the champion, listing Whittaker -240 and Romero +200 as of this writing.

Given how dangerous Romero is throughout almost any portion of a fight, it can hard to be confident in betting against him here. Despite being 41-years-old, Romero still shows arguable improvements each time out, especailly regarding his comfortability with throwing strikes. Coupled with his ability to manipulate perception and time opposition, I would not necessarily be shocked to see Romero catch Whittaker with something clean in rounds 1-3.

However, after considering that Whittaker (by all accounts) should be able to put weight back on his lead leg for this fight, then I suspect that we’ll see a different dynamic than the one that relies on the Australian outlasting his foe. And though I could see this battle hitting the scorecards again, I believe that a healthy Whittaker reinstates his jab, something that should pair nicely with the feints that he found success with in their first fight. The pick is Whittaker to poetically knockout Romero in what has traditionally been his best frame –– the third round.

Official pick: Whittaker inside the distance

For more on UFC 225, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.