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Israel Adesanya says he’s perfectly willing to fight Yoel Romero, but the UFC isn’t high on the idea.
Following Israel Adesanya’s title unification win over Robert Whittaker, it was widely suspected that Paulo Costa would be the next man to stand across the Octagon from the Last Stylebender. But when Costa ended up on the shelf with a long-term injury, talk moved to Yoel Romero.
Adesanya said last week that he wants the Romero fight. Romero responded, saying to call UFC president Dana White and get it done. But it hasn’t happened, and Adesanya believes it’s because of the UFC itself.
While speaking to TMZ Sports, Adesanya made it clear that he still wants the fight, but the UFC doesn’t see it as a moneymaker:
“Man, I already called the guy out. They all say (I backed out). I already said it on JRE. I’ve never ever backed out from anyone, I’ve never backed down, I never will.”
He believes that Romero is getting misinformation from those around him who believe that Adesanya doesn’t want the fight:
“He’s f—king getting told by his manager. Yeah, I’ve called the guy out, I’ve said I want to fight him. The UFC don’t think that’s going to sell, but f—k records, I just want to fight. I want Yoel, but if we can’t make that happen we have some ideas.”
It’s not very surprising that the UFC doesn’t like the fight all that much, as Dana has already stated that he’d like Romero to get a win before challenging for the title. Add that to the fact that Romero hasn’t been able to make weight for his last two chances at the title, and it makes the bout much less likely.
But if it’s not Costa and it’s not Romero, who else deserves the next title shot?