It looks like Yoel Romero is out of his headlining rematch with Jacare Souza at UFC on ESPN 3.
Bad news for fight fans: Yoel Romero has been forced to withdraw from UFC on ESPN 3 due to illness, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The news was first reported by Brazilian MMA outlet AgFight on Thursday.
It’s suspected that Romero is suffering with pneumonia, although this hasn’t been confirmed.
‘Soldier of God’ was expected to take on Ronaldo Jacare Souza, who he originally beat via controversial split decision back in 2015, in the UFC on ESPN 3 main event. It’s not clear whether Jacare will stay on the card, but Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to book an alternative headlining bout.
According to Helwani, the UFC have “approached other fighters about putting together a headliner that doesn’t include Souza because marquee options are limited for the Brazilian.”
Souza last fought in 2018 against former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, KO’ing ‘All-American’ in the third and final round of the UFC 230 co-main event.
UFC on ESPN 3, which will feature a questionable co-headlining bout between Greg Hardy and Dmitry Smolyakov, takes place later this month, April 27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.