Dana White confirms interim title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker for UFC 213

UFC 213 will see some significant changes as the show's new co-main event now features an interim middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker.

The pay-per-view, headlined by Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, was set to feature a co-main event bantamweight title fight between champion Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw.

However, after Garbrandt had been struggling with a back problem, Dillashaw recently revealed that he had an alternative in fighting flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

With "No Love" now officially ruled out of the event after seeing a specialist in Germany, UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the next plan for Dillashaw is to have him face Johnson in a flyweight title bout.

"After his last round of treatment in Germany, they told him [Garbrandt] he'd need four weeks to rest," White told ESPN. "That would have put him two weeks out from the fight."

"With Cody out, we're going to make T.J. versus Mighty Mouse [Demetrious Johnson]. That's the plan."

Johnson is notably one title defence away from breaking Anderson Silva's record of 10 title defences after equalling it in April against Wilson Reis. The fight with Dillashaw could also take place in August in Seattle, Washington with "Mighty Mouse" fighting out of Kirkland based in the same state.

As for the middleweight division, with White calling off Michael Bisping's fight with Georges St-Pierre, Romero was expected to face the champion next.

However, with Bisping claiming he is still recovering from knee surgery, White revealed his plans of creating an interim title fight, which is now confirmed to take place between Romero and Whittaker — both of whom have the longest winning runs in the middleweight division with seven and six respectively.

The winner of that bout is expected to challenge Bisping when he is fully recovered in a middleweight title unification fight.