"How many boring fights have I had and how many has Izzy had?" - Yoel Romero slams Israel Adesanya for "running" from him, claims UFC was "pampering" the Kiwi
Yoel Romero jibed at his old rival Israel Adesanya over the middleweight champion's comments that his fight against the former UFC fighter was the lowest moment of his career.
The 45-year-old MMA veteran faced Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship at UFC 248 in his last fight under the UFC banner. The pair put on a lackluster fight with minimal action, and 'The Last Stylebender' got a perfunctory nod as the winner by unanimous decision.
@Stylebender stays sharp to get the job done! #UFC248Still the champ. 🏆
🇳🇬 @Stylebender stays sharp to get the job done! #UFC248 https://t.co/6r8k73zcVf
As the ill repute of the fight lingers on, fight fans have developed an antipathy for Adesanya due to his lustreless display in some of his recent fights. The Nigerian native stated on his YouTube channel that the jeering fans in attendance at UFC 248 and the narrative of the fight bothered him.
Romero addressed Adesanya's comments in a recent interview on The MMA Hour and claimed that the UFC was featherbedding the middleweight champion:
"Let's get things straight. He [Israel Adesanya] called me like,'Nobody wants to fight the beast [Yoel Romero], I want to face the beast, and not only do I want to face the beast, I want to retire the beast.' He starts to fight [UFC 248] and feels my power... He starts running away from me. I'm not going to start chasing after you. That's not what I'm going to do. The UFC was pampering him and basically what they wanted was for me to go running after him. No! I'm not going to do that."
While describing his account of what transpired in the fight, Romero pointed out that he's not one ill-famed for dull fights:
"How many boring fights have I had and how many has Izzy had?''
Watch the video from the 16:15 mark below:
Yoel Romero talks about fighting Melvin Manhoef, an opponent nearly as old as him at Bellator 285
Yoel Romero has tested himself against the best names, not just in MMA but in the world of combat sports. The former Olympic silver medalist will face Melvin Manhoef in the co-main event of Bellator 285.
The combined age of ninety-one years between the two combatants is worthy of mention. Yoel Romero has fought enough and more young prospects in his time.
During the pre-fight media scrum, 'Soldier of God' claimed that he's glad that he finally gets to fight an opponent his age:
"Yes! [Romero exclaimed] Finally I get to fight somebody my age. In my career there has been a great age gap with my opponents. Obviously, I'm known as a little bit older than them. But I look forward to finally fighting somebody that's my age."
45-year-old Romero and 46-year-old Manhoef were initially scheduled to fight at Bellator 280. However, Manhoef pulled out due to a hand injury he sustained while stopping burglars.
Watch Romero at the media scrum below: