LAS VEGAS – Dana White wasn far from pleased with the UFC 248 main event and didn’t hold back in making that known.
The UFC president was disappointed with how Israel Adesanya’s title defense against Yoel Romero played out Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Adesanya vs. Romero turned out to be an uneventful five-round decision favoring the UFC middleweight champion. White expressed regret for making the fight.
“When I’m sitting here today talking about this, the matchmakers didn’t love that fight and didn’t want to make that fight,” White told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “They didn’t want to make Romero vs. Adesanya, but the goofy fan in me said, ‘Are you sh*tting me? Come on, this will be a fun fight to do. And the fact that (Adesanya) wants to fight a guy that nobody else wants to fight.’ Now hindsight is 20/20, probably shouldn’t have done that fight and should’ve waited for (Paulo) Costa, but oh well, we did it.”
White can’t wait for Adesanya’s second title defense against Brazil’s Paulo Costa and said that’s the fight to make next for the Nigerian-born champion. Costa, who has a win over Romero, is regarded as the rightful No. 1 contender but couldn’t fight Adesanya due to injury.
“Costa vs. Adesanya will be a ridiculous fight,” White said. “I guarantee it, I absolutely guarantee it. He got what he wanted, he got him (Romero) on his resume, he beat him, and onto Costa.”
