Robert Whittaker successfully defended his middleweight title and received a double bonus for his victory over Yoel Romero Saturday night at UFC 225 from Chicago.
Whittaker earned a split decision over Romero after a back and forth 5 round fight. Charles Oliveira earned a $50,000 bonus with a 1st round submission over Clay Guida. Curtis Blaydes received the other bonus for his KO of Alistair Overeem in the third round.
UFC 225 drew 18,117 fans for a gate of $2.55 million. It was the best attendance and gate for a UFC show in Chicago. The event took place at the United Center in Chicago. Dana White said post-event that it was the “highest attended non-basketball event in the arena’s history.”
The numbers were announced post-fight by the UFC.
Payout Perspective:
Romero’s inability to make weight sort of diminished a great main event with Whittaker. The UFC would have been in a bind if Romero would have prevailed as there were instances where Whittaker looked to be out of it. But, the main event and the CM Punk fight probably boosted attendance for the event. Will it transfer to PPV buys is another interesting question.
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