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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, will soon be defending his 185-pound title against longtime division contender, Yoel Romero, just as soon as the promotion is done finalizing the details.
That’s according to UFC President Dana White.
“We’re looking at Yoel Romero,” White told ESPN (transcribed by Adam Martin). “He wants that fight. (Adesanya) wants to fight Yoel Romero. Nobody wants to fight Yoel Romero. Nobody’s screaming, ‘I want to fight Yoel Romero.’ He is.”
Is there a timeframe for that fight?
“Yeah,” White confirmed. “But we’re not announcing it yet.”
Romero (13-4) is holding on to the No. 3 spot in the official rankings behind Robert Whittaker (No. 1) and Paulo Costa (No. 2). “The Reaper” was recently put down by “The Last Stylebender” while “The Eraser” is sidelined with injury until further notice.
While the promotion is busy locking down Adesanya vs. Romero, Whittaker will return at UFC 248 in March to try to quell the uprising of surging middleweight contender, Jared Cannonier. Darren Till and Kelvin Gastelum are also in the mix, depending on how they’re booked.
2020 is going to be an interesting year for the 185-pound division.