Yoel Romero is a terrifying human being, and that was on full display at UFC 205 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Facing former middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Romero countered a takedown attempt with an explosive flying knee for …
Yoel Romero is a terrifying human being, and that was on full display at UFC 205 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Facing former middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Romero countered a takedown attempt with an explosive flying knee for a third-round technical knockout. Check out the video here, courtesy of Talk MMA‘s Dizz:
While the Cuban has been forgotten about in the UFC’s hectic middleweight division, he is riding an impressive eight-fight winning streak, which also includes victories over former champions Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Lyoto Machida.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan gave Romero the chance to voice his desire to be the next challenger for the current champ, Michael Bisping (who was in attendance as an analyst). Here was Bisping’s response (warning: NSFW content):
This, of course, doesn’t mean Bisping vs. Romero is a guarantee. Still, how can anyone argue with a finish like that?
Yoel Romero is a terrifying human being, and that was on full display at UFC 205 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Facing former middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Romero countered a takedown attempt with an explosive flying knee for …
Yoel Romero is a terrifying human being, and that was on full display at UFC 205 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Facing former middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Romero countered a takedown attempt with an explosive flying knee for a third-round technical knockout. Check out the video here, courtesy of Talk MMA‘s Dizz:
While the Cuban has been forgotten about in the UFC’s hectic middleweight division, he is riding an impressive eight-fight winning streak, which also includes victories over former champions Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Lyoto Machida.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan gave Romero the chance to voice his desire to be the next challenger for the current champ, Michael Bisping (who was in attendance as an analyst). Here was Bisping’s response (warning: NSFW content):
This, of course, doesn’t mean Bisping vs. Romero is a guarantee. Still, how can anyone argue with a finish like that?
Well it looks as though we have ourselves a top contender for the middleweight title.
With Luke Rockhold hurt and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in some weird, paid-to-cut-weight-but-not-actually-fighting-this-weekend purgatory, Yoel Romero came out at UFC 205…
Well it looks as though we have ourselves a top contender for the middleweight title.
With Luke Rockholdhurt and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in some weird, paid-to-cut-weight-but-not-actually-fighting-this-weekend purgatory, Yoel Romero came out at UFC 205 and showed the world who should be next for a chance at Michael Bisping’s strap.
It was a remarkable showing for Romero, one that provided elite middleweight action punctuated by an utterly outrageous finish.
The first round started with a feeling-out process, Weidman throwing kicks while Romero judged distance and evaded. The dance continued until Weidman surprisingly took down the former Olympic silver medallist, leading to a hurried scramble that ended in a reset on the feet at the center of the Octagon. Once there, it was New York’s “All-American” dictating the pace with a variety of kicks accented by some pawing punching combinations to keep Romero honest.
As the round came to a close, it was quite evident that the former middleweight champion was looking to make the Cuban work at a high pace, as he scored another takedown and rode it out until the final horn.
The second was slightly delayed as Romero needed to be towelled off in a moment that harkened back to a past controversy in his fight with Tim Kennedy, but once the action started it was much of the same as the first.
Weidman pressured consistently at distance, peppering with combinations enough to keep Romero off-balance enough to attempt takedowns and then repeat the whole process. Romero woke up after suffering an eye poke, however, scoring a slick trip takedown and controlling Weidman for the back half of the round by way of a prolonged back ride, which evolved into some mat wrestling.
And then it was all over in an instant.
Coming out of the corner to start the third, Romero hit a savage flying knee that put Weidman to the mat for good. He was badly wobbled and severely cut, a victim of the freakish athleticism Romero possessed. The knee landed as Weidman shot for a takedown, and once it connected all he could do was cover up and wait for the referee to save him.
In a time when there are several names jockeying to be in the pole position of middleweight contendership, this win puts Romero ahead of the pack—particularly in light of the muddled circumstances surrounding the other true elites of the class.
To come out on the biggest stage the UFC has ever provided and win convincingly in front of such a hot, boisterous crowd is a statement of the highest order. Look for him to get his shot in the not-too-distant future, as Bisping has expressed a keenness to fight in January before taking on a movie role.
For Weidman, a setback at such a high level is surely less damaging than being the victim of an upset would have been. He’s still in the mix at the very peak of the division and could easily remain only a win or two away from a title shot himself.
Pairing him with whoever comes out of next weekend’s bout between GegardMousasi and Uriah Hall could work, as it would force him to show he still belongs at the very top of the weight class while also allowing Mousasi or Hall a chance to break into that conversation as well.
A middleweight clash with potential title implications served as the second bout on the main card of UFC 205 in New York City. The “Big Apple” witnessed Long Island’s Chris Weidman (13-1) do battle with Yoel Romero (11-1). Weidman threw a kick to the body at the start of the first round. Romero answered with
A middleweight clash with potential title implications served as the second bout on the main card of UFC 205 in New York City. The “Big Apple” witnessed Long Island’s Chris Weidman (13-1) do battle with Yoel Romero (11-1).
Weidman threw a kick to the body at the start of the first round. Romero answered with his own kick to the solar plexus. Weidman grabbed onto a leg and took “Soldier of God” down briefly. The two stood back up and “All-American” used his kicks to keep his distance. Weidman landed some kicks to set up a takedown attempt. The former middleweight champion countered his opponent with a left hand. Romero tried stuffing a takedown, but was dumped down. Weidman held onto his opponent’s back until the horn sounded.
Time was halted momentarily as Romero had to be wiped down from excess water on his back. The two went toe-to-toe to begin the second stanza. Weidman landed a hard leg kick and later connected with a body kick. He landed a knee to the body and Romero claimed he was poked in the eye. Replays showed Weidman did indeed accidentally poke his opponent in the eye. “All-American” caught a kick and had his head kick blocked. Romero did a slick trip on his opponent and held on in search of a complete takedown. He drove Weidman to the center of the Octagon and took him down. The round ended with “Soldier of God” in top control.
Right away, the two exchanged kicks. Romero timed a takedown attempt beautifully with a knee to the face. Some follow up punches ended the fight. Weidman was slow to get up and the side of his head was busted open.
Post-fight, reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping flipped Romero the bird and the future challenger responded by saying, “I love you,” and “you know me boy” among other things.
Final Result: Yoel Romero def. Chris Weidman via TKO (Strikes) – R3, 0:24
The most stacked card in history is here. Blowing previous mega-cards UFC 200 and UFC 202 out of the water in terms of potential excitement, high-level competition, big names, and high stakes, UFC 205 will be the promotion’s inaugural foray into New York City. The blockbuster event will emanate Saturday November 12, 2016, from Madison Square
Blowing previous mega-cards UFC 200 and UFC 202 out of the water in terms of potential excitement, high-level competition, big names, and high stakes, UFC 205 will be the promotion’s inaugural foray into New York City. The blockbuster event will emanate Saturday November 12, 2016, from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
The headliner will see the biggest draw in the sport today, Conor McGregor, seeking to make history. The current undisputed featherweight champion, the ‘Notorious’ one will attempt to dethrone current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. If he is successful, he will become the first simultaneous two-division title-holder in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The hard-nosed Alvarez will be making his first defense of the title in the money fight of his choosing. He last appeared in July, when he ripped the belt from Rafael dos Anjos.
The main card also features two other title fights. First, Joanna J?drzejczyk will look to defend her title for a fourth time when she goes toe to toe with fellow Polish striker Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Then welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley will square off with consensus number one contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
The rest of the main draw will see New York native Chris Weidman lock horns with Cuban wrestling dynamo Yoel Romero and former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate warring with Raquel Pennington.
Read on for a breakdown of every scrap on the main card.
And the breakdowns just keep on coming. One of the most anticipated bouts on the card pits former middleweight champion Chris Weidman against the returning Yoel Romero in a bout that has major title implications. As one of the only native New Yorkers on the card, Chris Weidman has a ton of pressure on his shoulders but also has a lot to prove to both himself and the masses. Will Yoel Romero give the former champ the opportunity to seize redemption or will the Cuban native be too powerful and explosive for Weidman?
And the breakdowns just keep on coming. One of the most anticipated bouts on the card pits former middleweight champion Chris Weidman against the returning Yoel Romero in a bout that has major title implications. As one of the only native New Yorkers on the card, Chris Weidman has a ton of pressure on his shoulders but also has a lot to prove to both himself and the masses. Will Yoel Romero give the former champ the opportunity to seize redemption or will the Cuban native be too powerful and explosive for Weidman?
Chris Weidman was looking to be the next streaking middleweight champion after dethroning Anderson Silva at UFC 162. Despite talks of those victories over Silva being a fluke, Weidman has since proved himself with victories over Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. Losing the belt to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194, this bout is Weidman’s return to the octagon after an extended hiatus due to injury. The first thing that Weidman should look to do in this bout is push Romero back. He’ll have to do so cautiously utilizing a high guard and consistent feints to keep Romero guessing. Even if done well there will constantly be the threat of an explosive strike coming Weidman’s way. Hand fighting, leg kicks, front kicks, and crosses to the body will be effective against Romero who fights in an opposite southpaw stance. The crosses to the body can work as a fake takedown attempt which could throw Romero off. When Weidman decides to commit, Romero may be so confused as to what’s coming that a double or single leg can be secured. Failing that, Weidman could always choose to engage in clinch warfare as a means of tiring out Romero who tends to fade down the stretch.
On the other side of the equation, if Yoel Romero wants to be victorious at UFC 205, he’ll have add variety to his arsenal as well. While he’s enjoyed a tremendous amount of success during his UFC tenure due to his explosive striking style and terrifying wrestling, he should look to combine all of his tools together in order to put the well rounded Chris Weidman into a defensive shell. Romero’s striking is so sudden and powerful that most fighters are likely to either back all the out of the way of his strikes or flinch and be hit for their troubles. He can utilize his explosive movement in different ways in order to get Weidman to react at the wrong times. Feinting will be Romero’s best friend in this bout, particularly in the wrestling realm. A fake shot to an uppercut is sure to pay dividends in the long run. It’s hard to say who the better wrestler is though Romero has superior credentials. Threatening with wrestling can’t hurt and will open Weidman up to strikes from angles where he won’t see things coming.
This fight, like all others, is as much mental as it is physical. Yoel Romero is a physical beast with a ton of gifts. If he couples the mental warfare with his natural physicality, then victory is assured. The thing is we’ve seen moments where he relies too heavily on his natural talent rather than strategy. Other than a few blunders here and there, Chris Weidman has always been a man who sticks to a plan and forces others to fight his fight. Look for the former champion to get back to his winning ways by netting a hard fought decision victory at UFC 205.
Who ya got at UFC 205, Chris Weidman or Yoel Romero?
Yoel Romero is a terrifying human being, and that was on full display at UFC 205 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.