Whittaker grabs title with 1-point decision

LAS VEGAS — Robert Whittaker won the UFC interim middleweight title Saturday night, surging in the late rounds to earn a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero at UFC 213.

Whittaker (20-4) recovered from a hyperextended knee in the first round with a strong striking performance, peppering Romero (12-2) with punches and kicks over the final three rounds. The Australian won his eighth consecutive fight, earning the victory 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards at T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s a moment I’ve always dreamed of,” Whittaker said.

The main event of the UFC’s traditional July showcase in its hometown was canceled earlier in the day when bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was hospitalized. She was scratched from her second title defense against Valentina Shevchenko, who criticized the champion’s preparation for the bout.

Alistair Overeem also beat Fabricio Werdum by narrow majority decision in the third career meeting of two veteran heavyweights, and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis also returned to the division with a unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller.

Whittaker earned the chance to fight for the full 185-pound title held for the past year by Michael Bisping, who is injured.

Whittaker will get the chance to remove the interim designation from his belt when Bisping returns from injury, although it might not happen this year.

Shevchenko, meanwhile, was furious with Nunes, claiming the champion’s drastic weight cut was responsible for her illness. She also echoed UFC president Dana White’s statement that Nunes was medically cleared to fight, but declined to go from the hospital to the cage.

“You can’t just say, ‘I don’t want to fight,’ ” Shevchenko said. “I couldn’t believe at the very last moment that this would happen to me. Of course I am upset. I understand what she wanted. She wanted to cut (weight) in a very short time. You cannot do this. Our bodies need more time to recover.”