Yoel Romero always believed he would finish former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
While many saw it as a surprise that the ex-Olympic wrestler was able to finish Weidman, the “Soldier of God” did everything before the fight to accomplish such a feat.
“That’s exactly how we planned out the fight, how we thought the fight would go,” Romero said (thanks to MMAFighting for the quotes). “From half the second round on, we knew we would finish. That was trained. 100 percent.
“My coach and I were discussing battle tactics and we talked about connecting the right knee when he attempted the takedown. We were training it and and we decided that was the way to end the fight, if it happened in that manner, that I would end the fight. That’s exactly how the coach and I had planned. Get him some food so he’d get happy with that food, and as soon as he comes for seconds, we’re going to hit him with the knee.”
Weidman, who had success in the first round, shot in for another takedown and was left bleeding and out on the ground courtesy of the flying knee. It marked the second such finish in Romero’s Octagon career.
Thanks to the win, Romero is expected to challenge UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the belt in 2017.