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‘UFC 225: Whittaker Vs. Romero 2’ Start Time And Full Card, Including CM Punk, Holly Holm, And More

By Carter Lee
Published on: 10:17 PST, Jun 9, 2018

UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2 airs live on Saturday night, June 9, from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Once again, the UFC is giving fans a packed card featuring a total of 13 fights, and two titles will be on the line on Saturday night: Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker will defend his UFC Middleweight Championship in a UFC 213 rematch against the man he beat for the interim title, Yoel Romero, and the interim UFC welterweight title will be decided when lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos meets Colby Covington in the octagon. The winner will fight division champion Tyron Woodley at a later date.

In a women’s featherweight bout, former bantamweight champion Holly Holm will face an impressive fighter who’s making her UFC debut, Megan Anderson. Holm wowed audiences when she dethroned the undefeated champion Ronda Rousey, but she has been largely unimpressive since that momentous night; she lost three straight fights before finally seeing another victory against Bethe Correia. Holly is looking for another victory against the 8-2 (overall MMA record) UFC newcomer.

In a fight featuring two 0-1 fighters, CM Punk will meet Mike Jackson. A Chicago native, Punk has had a busy week in his hometown. As the Inquisitr recently reported, the former wrestling champion was recently involved in a lawsuit with a WWE physician who was suing the fighter for slander. CM Punk was victorious in the courtroom, and he is looking to pick up his first MMA victory in the Windy City.

As seen in a Bloody Elbow report, many pundits are unenthused with this match. With an absence of big-name fighters, such as Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, the UFC has been clamoring for huge draws, and many critics feel the only reason Punk is getting another shot in the company is because of his star power. CM Punk will be fighting in his hometown in UFC 225 against another fighter that is underwhelming to many. Many believe Mike Jackson was hand-picked so that the fight would last a bit longer, and though he is a well-trained kickboxer, he is best known as an MMA photographer and journalist.

Fans can look forward to a heavyweight bout during the main card. Former champion Andrei Arlovski will take on the up-and-coming Tai Tuivasa. From dancing in celebration to enjoying a libation from his boot after his match, Tai is a very entertaining fighter, and he is also a huge threat. While some pundits have criticized the competitor for his physique, he is an impressive athlete nonetheless, as Rashad Coulter can testify.

Early Prelims

The early prelims will start at 6:15 p.m. EST on UFC Fight Pass.

  • Featherweight: Mike Santiago vs. Dan Ige
  • Lightweight: Clay Guida vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Flyweight: Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evans vs. Anthony Smith

Preliminary Card

The preliminary card starts at 8 p.m. EST on Fox Sports 1

  • Heavyweight: Rashad Coulter vs. Chris de la Rocha
  • Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas vs. Mirsad Bektic
  • Women’s Strawweight: Claudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza
  • Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes

UFC 225 Main Card

  • Welterweight: CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
  • Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Featherweight: Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson
  • Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington
  • Catchweight (185.2lbs): Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero

The UFC 225 main card begins at 10 p.m. EST on UFC TV and pay-per-view.

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