Manager: Yoel Romero’s Championship Hunt Isn’t Over, Despite Widely Panned, UFC 248 Performance

Following the very disappointing, lackluster bout between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, it seems like the latter’s been taking the most heat for what went down. As a result, some folks have argued that the championship chapter of the powerful wrestler’s career has been closed. But, according to Romero’s manager, Ibrahim Kawa, that chapter isn’t necessarily finished just yet.

Kawa says Romero could climb back to a title shot

The UFC 248 headliner between the middleweight champ and Romero offered very few, memorable moments, and as a result, the fight has been widely panned. Since Romero fought extremely tentatively and looked to counter for much of it, however, he’s been shouldering much of the blame.

Case in point, UFC President Dana White has said Romero looked “terrible”, and he blasted the longtime contender for blowing the title shot opportunity (which materialized because Adesanya called for the bout, even though Romero was coming off a loss to Paulo Costa).

Well, since the event, Kawa spoke with MMA Fighting.  While discussing the narrative that Romero’s championship hunt is now over, however, Kawa said this:

”We can label Yoel as a gatekeeper at this point, but if he knocks out three guys in devastating fashion, everyone’s going to be saying Yoel’s the best middleweight, and he needs another title shot.If guys can’t beat Yoel, then eventually, the only guy left is Yoel.”

”He didn’t lose an opportunity where he’ll never fight for a title again,” Kawa said. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s just depends on the fans. If the fans get behind Yoel and they believe Yoel deserves a shot, the UFC will give him a shot.”

“…“He’s made it very clear that this wasn’t his last shot,” Kawa said. “He’s already made it clear he’s going to be around for a while.”

Is Kawa right?

So, there’s a couple of things to look at here. Kawa is certainly right, in that, if Romero proceeds to take out several, top contenders in a row, another title shot could materialize. Especially if Adesanya is no longer holding the belt at that juncture (as convincing fans they should watch Adesanya – Romero 2 would be tough).

But, can Romero do this? Sure, the decorated wrestler has scored some highlight reel finishes during his UFC run. But, he’s also dropped decisions to Robert Whittaker and Costa. Further, while Romero is an athletic marvel, he is turning 43 in April. So, you have to wonder whether his best days are falling behind him. There’s also the question about him making 185 on a consistent basis, at this stage of his career.

All this aside, it will be interesting to see when and who Romero fights next, and whether we see a more aggressive fighter. There will certainly be a lot of folks watching how he performs.