Yoel Romero says UFC release was 'completely unexpected,' details disagreement with matchmakers

0-3 in his last 3 fights and 1-4 in his last 5 (yes they were close fights but he still lost) and the most striking stat: 5 unsuccessful title challenges IN A ROW!

He has to have one fight at a lower level to regain his footing and he's having none of it. Everyone else would have fallen way farther down the ladder with one failed title shot, much less five. Yoel backed them into a corner. They can't keep giving him unearned title shots and having him kill off contenders. It's already hard enough getting someone to fight Romero. They don't need Romero also refusing to fight guys, too.
 
I’m still a Yoel fan and will gladly watch him vs Rumble at 205 in Bellator this time next year after each decapitates 1-2 lower tier guys first before facing off.
 
IsNormal said:
How is anyone ever going to 'fight down' if you just imagine you'll only fight the no1 contender even after 3 straight losses.
..Granted, I kind agree title fight losses shouldn't really count - but the fact that he lost to Costa and got a free title shot after which he threw away, that means he can't expect to not have to prove himself again against some lower ranked guys
This statement kind of makes me less sad that he left. I just hate when fighters give us an overly cautious performance and pretend like it's nothing and promise to kill their opponent if they get a rematch without mentioning what would be different, except them being older.
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It REALLY took me a long time to see Izzy's greatness, but he also seems to have the effect on his former opponents that you describe.
 
why would you go forward when you're losing?? at least he was getting ranked fighters, it could've been much worst
 
Bellator: we aren’t the home of ex ufc fighters
Also Bellator: here’s your contract, to 2 ex ufc fighters
 
gaffbyknees2 said:
He lost 4 out if his last 5 lol the 1 win being Rockhold and he's talking like he's the champion or something? Highly overrated on this forum.
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All those losses were competitive ones to elite fighters so we know Yoel is still a dangerous, top 5 MW. That said, you still have a point. He had all those opportunities because he went on an 8 fight win streak with wins over four top 10 opponents. But that good will only lasts so long, he needed to build himself back up after three losses in a row. If anything the UFC was generous, arguably doesn't even deserve to fight Hall or Brunson after going 0-3.
 
Myfryfroallfrizzy said:
History of bad fights? Aside from the latest one which fights have been bad?
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Having a bad fight with the champ is crippling for your career, especially one like Izzy who might stick around. because at the end of the day you're supposed to be fighting for a title shot but what if no one wants to see you fight the champion?
 
KazDibiase said:
According to Romero, who called his release “unexpected,” he was actively negotiating with matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard but the two sides were miles apart in terms of where “Soldier of God” fit in the current 185-pound title picture.

Romero told ESPN (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “We were already thinking of fighting in January or February at 185 or 205. We were looking to fight with the top three in either division. They wanted (me) to fight with Uriah Hall, Derek Brunson, and we explained to them that it didn’t make sense for (me) to fight with these young men. We had an idea we were chasing, the world title. Our thought was that fighting any of these guys that are in the back of the roster, that it was taking steps backward, not forward.”

“They came back to us with an offer to fight Johnny Walker at 205,” Romero continued. “At 205, we wanted whomever triumphed between ‘Marreta’ (Santos) or Glover (Teixeira). I was training not extra hard, but training with an intensity that I was going to run through my next two fights, get another shot at Izzy (Adesanya), and once I was in there, I was going to take his head off.”
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Cut wonderboy next for delaying our Khamzat strangling him to death before beating up Leon next month.
 
Khabib Khanate said:
All those losses were competitive ones to elite fighters so we know Yoel is still a dangerous, top 5 MW. That said, you still have a point. He had all those opportunities because he went on an 8 fight win streak with wins over four top 10 opponents. But that good will only lasts so long, he needed to build himself back up after three losses in a row. If anything the UFC was generous, arguably doesn't even deserve to fight Hall or Brunson after going 0-3.
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Yes I agree with you. He is still a top fighter and a dangerous fight for anyone in the top 5 however his entitled attitude certainly didn't do him any favors. Prob gets stretched in belator by a juiced up rumble.
 
tehMoose said:
So Adesanya should get a title shot at LHW (he has 0 fights at LHW) but the guy who beat Israel (most agree with this) can't get the winner of Glover/Santos?

Nice logic bro
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So by your logic, a guy that has lost 4 of his last 5 fights, with his last win being almost 3 years ago, should be fighting one of the top 3 guys? I'm still trying to figure out how he got a title shot after going 1-3, with 2 of those losses being back to back leading into his title fight.

Please.. help me understand.
 
gaffbyknees2 said:
Yes I agree with you. He is still a top fighter and a dangerous fight for anyone in the top 5 however his entitled attitude certainly didn't do him any favors. Prob gets stretched in belator by a juiced up rumble.
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lol Rumble vs Yoel. How does that shit even get sanctioned?
 
chiefwiggum said:
that’s not necessarily true. He’s at the top. Lost very close fights.
Yoels case is different than what should usually happen. IMO.
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Losing close fights is still losing fights. He's 1-4 in his last 5, with his last win being almost 3 years ago. No matter whose case it is, 1-4 is 1-4. 3 of those losses were in a row.

Yoel was not in a position to be asking for top 3. Now he's unfortunately put himself in a position that fighting the top 10 isn't even possible. He probably should've taken that Brunson fight.

Either way, I wish him luck over at Bellator.
 
They wanted to make him a feature act or a gatekeeper. Dana said after the Izzy fights that no more title shots for Yoel. Yet he is on that level. This is often how negotiations go.

I personally would've encouraged the move to 205. Too many close losses against the top at 185. But Glover was and is the top contender, so Yoel just moving up with zero wins makes little sense for Glover. While Walker is too low. Someone in the middle.

I get a feeling these negotiations could've used the more patient hand of Lorenzo.
 
I like Romero, but he's 1-4 in his last 5 with 3 losses on the bounce... he should be fighting lower ranked guys
 
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