UFC 225 predictions: Who's leaving Chicago with a shiny gold strap?

Prior to Saturday's UFC 225 in Chicago, Ill., theScore's Mitch Sanderson makes his picks for the event's main-card bouts.

Middleweight Championship

Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker (10-2 UFC, 19-4)
vs.
Yoel "Soldier of God" Romero (9-1 UFC, 13-2)

Almost a year removed from their first meeting, these middleweights have competed just once between them since their Fight of the Year candidate last July, but have both vowed to learn plenty from their experience against one another. Whittaker has dealt with a slew of injuries in the past 11 months but claims to be at full health headed into his first official title defense.

Romero, 41, was worn down by the championship rounds in his last fight with Whittaker, unable to capitalize on an injured leg suffered by the Australian. He's put more emphasis on cardio in this contest, hoping to learn from his mistakes. There's no doubt these are the two premier middleweights right now and they have proven to have as close to equal skill sets as possible. Romero may have more room to improve upon the last bout with better cardio, but Whittaker's ability to win last July after blowing out his knee in the early rounds has to give the champion the edge, assuming he can avoid another major injury.

THE PICK: Whittaker

Interim Welterweight Championship

Rafael dos Anjos (17-7 UFC, 28-9)
vs.
Colby "Chaos" Covington (8-1 UFC, 13-1)

Covington basically trash-talked his way into this interim title fight after beating Demian Maia last October fresh off the Brazilian veteran's own title bout. But Covington's resume beyond his last fight - which was no walk in the park, either - doesn't match up with the rest of the top 170-pound contenders. He was able to beat Maia by simply keeping the fight on the feet and avoiding being overmatched in a jiu-jitsu contest.

Though Covington will still have the advantage in wrestling on Saturday, dos Anjos' game is much more well rounded than Maia's over anyone else the 30-year-old has faced. RDA won't at all be rattled by Covington's non-stop trash talk as he looks to become the second UFC fighter to win belts at lightweight and welterweight. If dos Anjos can do what Covington did in October and keep the fight standing, the 33-year-old should come away the victor.

THE PICK: dos Anjos

Featherweight

Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm (4-4 UFC, 11-3)
vs.
Megan Anderson (0-0 UFC, 8-2)

The UFC would love to see Anderson come out and steal the show on Saturday so they would finally have a natural featherweight to sell as a real challenge for Cris Cyborg, but that will be a tough ask for the Australian. Anderson returns for the first time since January 2017 to make her UFC debut against Holm, who won't have much of a weight cut and will be competing in a three-round contest for the first time since July 2015.

Holm has lost four of her last five, though she's proven to be perhaps the toughest woman in the UFC in that time. Anderson has dominated her last four fights in Invicta FC and a win Saturday could be career-altering, but Holm can't afford to take her lightly if she wants to turn around her current streak and get back to the title picture at bantamweight.

THE PICK: Holm

Heavyweight

Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (16-9 UFC, 27-15)
vs.
Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa (2-0 UFC, 7-0)

Tuivasa stole some of the spotlight fighting in his homeland of Australia in February when he chugged a beer out of a shoe, but the 25-year-old notched another milestone in the Octagon, getting his seventh straight first-round finish. He enters his first pro MMA bout off of home soil as the favorite over Arlovski, who is 14 years his elder with 36 more career contests.

Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champ, has only been finished in the first five minutes twice in his last 19 fights, by current titleholder Stipe Miocic and top contender Francis Ngannou. Tuivasa could have a bright future with his personality and early stoppages, but he's far from a Miocic or Ngannou, and hasn't shown the cardio to last three rounds with a savvy vet like Arlovski.

THE PICK: Arlovski

Welterweight

CM Punk (0-1 UFC, 0-1)
vs.
Mike "The Truth" Jackson (0-1 UFC, 0-1)

Both fighters have virtually identical records having lost their first and only pro MMA fights to Mickey Gall via first-round finish, with Punk lasting almost 90 seconds longer than Jackson. There's not a lot else to go off of in terms of predicting this fight. Jackson has trained as a boxer and in Muay Thai, but he doesn't have much to brag about in either sport other than the fact that he participated, which is more than Punk can say. The former WWE superstar has just the one bout outside of pro wrestling, but has been training since 2015 at Roufosport MMA Academy, which has housed the likes of welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and the Pettis brothers.

Punk looked exactly like someone who had never competed in top-level combat sports before in his debut. At least Jackson has lasted an entire three-round amateur fight before.

THE PICK: Jackson