Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 213: Romero vs Whittaker
Interim MiddleweightTITLE FIGHT★ Fight of the Night5 rounds scheduled
Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero
13-5-0
RESULT

Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 5 · 5:00
WIN
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
“The Reaper”
28-9-0
Sunday, July 9, 2017
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States

Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Interim Middleweight title main event of UFC 213: Romero vs Whittaker, held Sunday, July 9, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 48-47, Robert Whittaker won the decision.

Fight stats

Yoel Romero
Robert Whittaker
0
Knockdowns
0
48 of 107
Significant strikes
74 of 221
45%
Sig. strike accuracy
33%
114 of 175
Total strikes
94 of 244
4 of 18
Takedowns
0 of 0
22%
Takedown accuracy
-
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
5:15
Control time
1:33
Significant strikes by target
20 of 68
Head
46 of 163
12 of 18
Body
23 of 52
16 of 21
Leg
5 of 6
41 of 100
Distance
59 of 195
3 of 3
Clinch
7 of 12
4 of 4
Ground
8 of 14

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
12 of 18
Sig. str.
7 of 25
14 of 20
Total str.
7 of 25
1 of 4
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:53
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
6 of 12
Sig. str.
6 of 22
49 of 55
Total str.
10 of 27
2 of 6
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
3:20
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
5 of 16
Sig. str.
11 of 53
5 of 16
Total str.
13 of 55
0 of 3
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 4
0
KD
0
7 of 18
Sig. str.
19 of 42
8 of 19
Total str.
19 of 42
1 of 4
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
1:02
Ctrl
0:05
ROUND 5
0
KD
0
18 of 43
Sig. str.
31 of 79
38 of 65
Total str.
45 of 95
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
1:28

Judges' Scorecards

Sal D'Amato
#RomeroWhittaker
1109
2109
3910
4910
5910
Total4748
Junichiro Kamijo
#RomeroWhittaker
1109
2109
3910
4910
5910
Total4748
Jeff Mullen
#RomeroWhittaker
1109
2109
3910
4910
5910
Total4748

Media Scores

0
Romero
-
23
Whittaker
●48-47 Whittaker×22●49-46 Whittaker
All 23 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

6%
Romero
4%
Draw
91%
Whittaker
466 fan scorecards submitted
●48-47 Whittaker69.1%●49-46 Whittaker16.5%●48-47 Romero3.6%●49-47 Whittaker2.4%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
76%
Romero
R2
93%
Romero
R3
93%
Whittaker
R4
94%
Whittaker
R5
91%
Whittaker

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Betting Odds

Yoel Romero
-104
51% implied win probability
Open: -119Best: +110
Robert Whittaker
-124
55% implied win probability
Open: -105Best: -115

Average moneyline across 5 sportsbooks.

SportsbookYoel RomeroRobert Whittaker
Bookmaker-102-128
Bovada-105-125
Pinnacle+108-121
sports-interaction-145-115
unibet+110-130

Odds are for information only. · Odds data: fightodds.io

Frequently asked questions

Who won Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker?

Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Interim Middleweight title main event of UFC 213: Romero vs Whittaker, held Sunday, July 9, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 48-47, Robert Whittaker won the decision.

What were the judges' scorecards for Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker?

The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 48-47, Robert Whittaker won the decision.

Was Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker a robbery?

Public scoring backed the judges: 91% of 466 fan cards scored it for Robert Whittaker; 100% of 23 media scores picked Robert Whittaker.

Full robbery index →
Referee
John McCarthy
Time format
5 Rnd (5-5-5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Yoel Romero 56%44% Robert Whittaker

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model · Middleweight roster (229 fighters)

Yoel Romero
Knockout Artist
9 edges
Robert Whittaker
Complete Fighter
2 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

98Power94
98Speed95
99Precision94
97Durability94
93Engine95
95Wrestling87
77Ground89

Biggest edge Robert Whittaker, Submissions +30

Attribute by attribute

Yoel Romero is on the left of every row, Robert Whittaker on the right.
98Punch power93
97Kick power94
98Punch speed96
98Kick speed94
99Accuracy94
95Takedowns87
96Ground striking91
57Submissions87
96Chin94
97Body strength93
93Cardio95

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

13-5-0
Record
28-9-0
1911
Power Index rating
1867
2
Win Streak
1
49
Age
35
-
Height
6'0"
183 cm
73"
185 cm
Reach
73"
185 cm
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Interim Middleweight
Weight Class
Interim Middleweight
United States
Nationality
Australia / New Zealand

Style Matchup

-
vs
KarateHapkidoFreestyle WrestlingBJJ
Yoel Romero

No background on record

Robert Whittaker
  • 2020Black belt · BJJ · Alex Prates
  • 2017Champion · Australian National Wrestling Championships · 97 kg
  • 2017Champion · Commonwealth Games Qualifier · 97 kg
  • 2012Champion · Tuf · welterweight

Camp Gracie Jiu-Jitsu & Wrestling Smeaton Grange · Smeaton Grange, NSW, Australia

Striking Profile

3.44
SLpM
4.41
49%
Str. Acc.
43%
3.05
SApM
3.40
60%
Str. Def.
59%

Grappling Profile

1.57
TD Avg.
0.71
30%
TD Acc.
38%
78%
TD Def.
80%
0.00
Sub. Avg.
0.00

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Yoel Romero · 3-2
  • W
    Alex Nicholson
    Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA · May 1, 2026
    TKO · R1 · 1:11
  • L
    Vagab Vagabov
    IBA Bare Knuckle 4 · Mar 28, 2026
    Unanimous Decision
  • L
    Stephen Buchanan
    RAF 5: Covington vs. Rockhold · Jan 10, 2026
  • W
    Patrick Downey
    RAF 4: Hendrickson vs. Parris · Dec 20, 2025
  • W
    Theo Doukas
    BKFC 80 Hollywood: Perdomo vs Adams 2 · Sep 12, 2025
    TKO · R2 · 01:56 · Heavyweight
Robert Whittaker · 3-2
  • W
    Nikita Krylov
    UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 · Jul 11, 2026
    TKO · R3 · 1:01 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Reinier de Ridder
    UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder · Jul 26, 2025
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Khamzat Chimaev
    UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway · Oct 26, 2024
    Submission · R1 · 3:34 · Middleweight
  • W
    Ikram Aliskerov
    UFC Saudi Arabia · Jun 22, 2024
    TKO · R1 · 1:49 · Middleweight
  • W
    Paulo Costa
    UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria · Feb 17, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 14 fights · 25 fights
48.6
Avg sig. strikes
59.6
1.62
Avg takedowns
0.64
1:53
Avg control time
1:04
125
Career high strikes
150
7
Career high TDs
4

Strike Distribution

Yoel Romero
Strike target
Robert Whittaker
61%
Head
72%
18%
Body
10%
21%
Leg
18%
Yoel Romero
Strike position
Robert Whittaker
73%
Distance
87%
12%
Clinch
7%
15%
Ground
7%