It's truly disheartening that the middleweight championship was removed from the main event of UFC 225 in Chicago on Saturday because champion Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero gave us a battle to remember. In the end, the reigning 185-pound champ earned another win over Romero -- the first coming last July at UFC 213 to capture the interim middleweight title -- via split decision. 

The first two rounds consisted of Romero biding his time and Whittaker aiming to inflict as much damage as possible -- a similar style that he implemented against Luke Rockhold in February. But from the third round on, everything picked up. Romero -- famous for finishing fights in Round 3 -- got the crowd on their feet with a knockdown of Whittaker following a vicious right hand that landed flush. Showing off his toughness, though, the middleweight champion came right back and staggered Romero with a kick of his own after rallying to his feet. 

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The final three rounds featured two of the best middleweights in the world trading everything they have to give, with Whittaker coming out on top once again -- despite suffering a broken hand in the first round of the bout. 

Romero tried to grind out the final round and take Whittaker to the ground after landing a few more flush shots, but the champ would not be denied in returning to his feet and hitting shots square on Romero as well. As the final horn blew, both fighters embraced after 25 minutes of absolute hell.

This was a fight that fans won't soon forget, but still, it will always be overshadowed by the fact the title had to be removed from the equation. Romero failed to make the required 185-pound limit on Friday morning -- his second consecutive missed weight cut -- and the main event was turned into a five-round non-title affair. Although, it was revealed later in the day on Friday that the commission doctors ordered Romero to stop cutting weight an hour early prior to his second attempt for his own safety. The "Soldier of God" even addressed his displeasure with that decision in his post-fight comments.

Romero also said that, in his humble opinion, he thought he did enough to win the fight and walk out with the belt on Saturday night. He would also welcome another rematch, or 10, with the Aussie.

Championship drama aside, though, the middleweight clash in Chicago on Saturday night will be remembered as one of the fights of the year down the line.