Everything was neat and tidy...for about a month.

For a little while, it looked like the middleweight title picture had been sorted out. 





Michael Bisping's reign as champion was over. Georges St-Pierre was gone. 






All that was left was Robert Whittaker, who conveniently already had an interim UFC belt, and a lineup of contenders who wanted to take it. 


Everything was neat and tidy...for about a month.

Last week, Whittaker pulled out of the UFC 221 main event due to an undisclosed injury. 




Worse, following UFC 220, UFC President Dana White revealed that Whittaker is suffering from a serious staph infection that could shelf him for an extended period of time.

This is a devastating blow to the entire division, but it's a particularly devastating blow to UFC 221, which was largely built around the Australian returning home with the belt.



The lemonade the UFC made with that lemon was finding Whittaker's opponent, Luke Rockhold, a new foe in Yoel Romero.



In a vacuum, this is a solid contest. Rockhold is one of the deadliest fighters in the middleweight division, with all-over-the-cage skills and an exceptional nose for finding finishes. 





Romero remains one of the most interesting fighters in MMA, with peerless athleticism and obscene punching power to go along with his Olympic medal-winning wrestling skills.



But unfortunately, this isn't in a vacuum.





It's taking place at a flimsy UFC 221 and will add another fake belt into the mix, which serves little purpose but to muddy up a division that desperately needs clarity.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2754492-ufc-221-luke-rockhold-vs-yoel-romero-full-card-preview-and-predictions