Not only will Los Angeles get a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort for UFC 184, it’s now going to get a potential title eliminator in that division as well.
On Thursday, The Los Angeles Daily News reported that a middleweight bout between Ronaldo Souza and Yoel Romero has been added to the Feb. 28 event, set to take place at the Staples Center.
The Brazilian “Jacare” has been hovering in title contention for a while, and with seven wins in a row dating back to his run in Strikeforce would appear to be closing in on the winner of Belfort and Weidman. The 34-year old Souza (21-3-1) last fought Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 50 at Foxwoods in Connecticut, where he scored a third-round submission victory (guillotine). Since coming to the UFC, “Jacare” is 4-0, having also defeated Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami and Francis Carmont.
The Cuban-born Romero has also been streaking since coming over to the UFC. The 37-year old Olympic wrestling medalist has gone a perfect 5-0 in the UFC’s middleweight division. An American Top Team product, Romero is coming off a controversial win over Tim Kennedy at UFC 178 in Las Vegas. In the fight, Romero — who was rocked moments earlier and nearly finished — lingered on his stool in the corner between rounds, before scoring a TKO victory 38 seconds into the third.
Before then, Romero dominated Brad Tavares in April for a unanimous decision, and finished his three previous opponents — Clifford Starks, Ronny Markes and Derek Brunson — via knockouts.
UFC 184 will take place Feb. 28 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. It will be headlined by Belfort and Weidman, with a co-main event featuring women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in a title defense against Cat Zingano.