ANAHEIM, Calif. – Former interim middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero brushed off concerns about his weight despite misses on the scale in his previous two fights.
“I don’t have a problem with my division,” Romero told MMA Junkie in advance of his meeting with Paulo Costa at UFC 241, which takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. “I don’t care. When I think I can’t do something, I don’t do it. When you have a little doubt, don’t do it.”
Romero indicated his return in the 185-pound division is proof he’s not concerned about whether he’ll be able to hit the mark.
“No, why? I know what happened the last two fights,” he said. “I know. This time, I don’t have stress. I don’t care. I’m very happy. I’m here.”
A middleweight title shot slipped through Romero’s fingers 14 months ago at UFC 225 in Chicago when he weighed in two-tenths of a pound over the strict 185-pound mark required of title fights. As a result, fight against current champ Robert Whittaker was made a non-title bout, and he lost a split decision.
Before the fight, Romero blamed his miss on the state of Illinois’ athletic commission, which he said refused to allow him the traditional two hours to make a second attempt at making weight. A video surfaced of him in apparent pain as he left the weigh-ins.
The gaffe marked the second consecutive time Romero’s weight forced a change to a championship fight. He was 2.7 pounds over for an interim title bout against Luke Rockhold and was rendered ineligible to fight for the title. He still managed to knock out Rockhold in the third round.
A heavily muscled competitor, Romero’s physique is the subject of marvel and suspicion among MMA fans. He received a six-month suspension after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC’s anti-doping partner, determined he ingested a tainted supplement. He later sued the supplement’s maker and won a default judgement of $27 million, though he declined to tell MMA Junkie whether he’s collected any of the money.
