Dana White shares his disappointment with the 'pretentious' Yoel Romero; comments on his future at UFC
UFC President Dana White is not happy with the show Yoel Romero put up at UFC 248.
The 'Soldier of God' got his third and possibly final chance at UFC gold, and he sort of blew it completely, contributing to the significant lack of action in the main event of UFC 248. At the post-fight press conference, White had a few select words to say about him and what he decided to do with his ultimate title shot.
Dana White: Romero never really fought, only acted like he did
Having missed his last two chances at a title for not making weight, everyone expected Romero to go all guns blazing at the Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya. The opportunity was literally presented to Romero on a silver plate, as Adesanya himself called him out despite Romero not being the top contender.
But Romero took the other route instead, leaving the fans as well as the UFC President displeased.
"Romero knew this was his last opportunity at a World Championship. I thought he was going to come out like a bat out of hell, put tons of pressure on him, shoot for takedowns, try to knock him out... he did literally none of that."
On the other hand, White has nothing but praises for the Champion and how he tackled the strange and aloof gameplan that Romero brought to the fight. According to him, Romero simply pretended to fight in the cage; Adesanya was the one who did the real work, thus rightfully having the decision go in his favor unanimously;
"If you're Adesanya, he fought the smart fight. He stayed on the outside, he chopped that leg apart, and he picked his punches, and he did what he did. Romero did a lot of moving around, and acting like he's trying to fight, but he never really did."
When asked if he thought Romero could have another go at the 185-pounds belt, White rejected the idea immediately.
"A path back to the title fight after that performance? You're crazy even asking that right now... he looked terrible tonight."
The fight took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where the entire contest was interjected with remarks and frustrated booing from the audience due to its lackluster fashion.