Whittaker beats Romero for interim title, Overeem edges Werdum at UFC 213

An interim middleweight champion was crowned at UFC 213 after Robert Whittaker outworked Yoel Romero in the main event.

In other action, Alistair Overeem defeated Fabricio Werdum to complete their heavyweight trilogy and Anthony Pettis made a triumphant return to the lightweight division.

Middleweight Interim Championship Bout: Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero via unanimous decision

Whittaker overcame a larger opponent and a wonky leg to win a five-round unanimous decision over Yoel Romero and an interim middleweight title in the main event of UFC 213 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

With the victory, the "Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes" winner became the first Australian to capture UFC gold. Whittaker held off Romero in the opening two rounds, though his efforts looked to prove costly as he was heard complaining about an injury to his left leg.

The 26-year-old battled through the pain to take advantage of a tiring Romero and in Rounds 3, 4, and 5 he had a clear advantage in the striking department. Even Romero's vaunted wrestling attack wasn't enough to slow Whittaker down.

Whittaker ended the fight in top position, scoring with ground-and-pound until the final buzzer sounded, signaling the beginning of his interim championship reign.

Recap: Whittaker guts out unanimous decision over Romero to win interim 185-lb title

Heavyweight Bout: Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum via majority decision

Overeem did just enough to eke out a win and put his trilogy with Werdum to bed.

"The Reem" edged Werdum in the striking department after two close rounds and survived a late onslaught from the Brazilian to squeeze out a majority decision. "Vai Cavalo" had Overeem dead to rights with a knee to the chin, but his decision to take the fight to the ground as opposed to finishing the Dutchman with strikes ultimately came back to haunt him when the scores were being read, as Overeem recovered just enough to make it to the final horn.

Recap: Overeem wins trilogy bout over Werdum by majority decision

Heavyweight Bout: Curtis Blaydes def. Daniel Omielanczuk via unanimous decision

Blaydes' development is progressing slowly, but surely.

Three uneventful rounds of stiff stand-up and uneventful wrestling ended with Blaydes winning a unanimous decision. The 26-year-old prospect was heavily favored, but could do little to impose his game plan on the sturdy Omielanczuk. Regardless, Blaydes' minimal offense was superior to Omielanczuk's nearly non-existent output and that disparity was reflected on the scorecards (as well as in the crowd's apathy).

Recap: Blaydes outpoints Omielanczuk in 3-round snoozer

Lightweight Bout: Anthony Pettis def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision

"Showtime" appeared every bit the man that once sat atop the lightweight division in his return to 155 pounds, flaunting his vaunted striking and regaling the crowd with a handful of high-flying techniques en route to a win on points.

When he wasn't stuffing Miller's takedown attempts, Pettis pieced up the durable veteran against the fence and proved a worthy match in the jiu-jitsu department for his first victory at lightweight since December 2014.

Recap: Pettis gets decisive win over Miller in return to 155-lb division

Bantamweight Bout: Rob Font def. Douglas Silva de Andrade via 2nd-round submission (guillotine choke)

Promoted from the Fight Pass prelims to the pay-per-view main card after the headliner fell through, Font made the most of his opportunity.

Font dominated Silva de Andrade with his striking for the better part of two rounds before using a slick guillotine choke to get the finish with less than 30 seconds remaining in Round 2. It was the second straight win for Font and his fourth win by knockout or submission in the UFC.

Watch: Font caps dissection of Silva de Andrade with 2nd-round submission

Heavyweight Bout: Aleksei Oleinik def. Travis Browne via 2nd-round submission (rear-naked choke)

In a heavyweight barn burner that had something for everybody, Oleinik showed he was more than a submission artist. "The Boa Constrictor" recovered from an early knockdown to rock Browne with some bombs of his own to cap a wild first round, then exploited the Hawaiian's subpar conditioning to scissor his legs around his body and secure the victory with a modified rear-naked choke at the 3:44 mark of the second round.

Watch: Oleinik survives early scare to tap Browne with rear-naked choke in 2nd round

Welterweight Bout: Chad Laprise def. Brian Camozzi via 3rd-round TKO

Laprise took his time, picked his shots, and he was rewarded with a late TKO of Camozzi. The "Ultimate Fighter: Nations" winner made a successful return to welterweight, using his tactical striking to peck away at the taller Camozzi and keep the fight close until he could turn up the heat in Round 3. A flurry of punches to the body left Camozzi crumpled against the cage.

Watch: Laprise breaks Camozzi with body shot for TKO win in welterweight return

Middleweight Bout: Thiago Santos def. Gerald Meerschaert via 2nd-round TKO

When you're nickname is "Sledgehammer" ("Marreta" in Portuguese), it's only fitting you pick up the finish with hammerfists. That's exactly what Santos did to Meerschaert to pick up his second straight win, stuffing the jiu-jitsu player's desperate takedown attempts and making him pay with merciless shots to the dome until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.

Watch: Santos lays hammer on Meerschaert for TKO win

Welterweight Bout: Belal Muhammad def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision

With 41 pro bouts under his belt, Mein looks like he's had enough.

Muhammad outworked the 27-year-old Canadian for three rounds to take a convincing unanimous decision win. After a solid start, Mein's performance visibly waned as the fight dragged on and Muhammad took advantage. "Remember the Name" repeatedly backed Mein up against the cage with jabs and aggressive clinch work, wearing him down until Mein was left with nothing in the tank for a comeback.

Recap: Muhammad puts the pressure on Mein for unanimous decision win

Featherweight Bout: Cody Stamann def. Terrion Ware via unanimous decision

Stamann may have come off the couch on just one week's notice, but he did his damnedest too keep it from showing, driving a game Ware to the mat every time his fellow debutant's mitts began finding their home. The youngster's takedowns proved to be the difference in the closely contested clash, as all three judges gave him the nod.

Recap: Stamann grinds out decision win over Ware for 1st UFC win

Light Heavyweight Bout: Trevin Giles def. James Bochnovic via 2nd-round KO

For a round-and-a-half, Giles imposed his will and had himself a grand old time on the mat, pulverising his fellow newcomer Bochnovic with vicious ground-and-pound from a variety of positions until an exhausted Bochnovic's lights went out 2:54 into Round 2.

Watch: Giles clobbers Bochnovic for 2nd-round KO in UFC debut