UFC 248: Dana White Trashes Yoel Romero, Says Contender Looked “Terrible” in Booed Headliner

Chances are both Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero are taking some heat today, for their lackluster and booed bout at UFC 248. But, following Saturday’s headliner, UFC President Dana White blamed Romero and then some for what went down in the main event.

White trashes Romero’s performance

Anytime Adesanya fights there’s a fair amount of buzz, due to his explosive and world class striking capabilities. Since he was facing Romero – one of the most powerful and dangerous fighters on the roster – there seemed to be a lot of hype for Saturday’s contest.

But, if you watched the event, you know that the main event failed to deliver big time. Both men fought pretty cautiously and tentatively throughout the bout, especially Romero, who largely looked to counter. After 25 minutes of action, neither man had landed more than 50 strikes, total….

Well, not surprisingly, the bout was booed at various junctures, and Adesanya emerged with the decision win. Of course, White was asked to comment on the disappointing fight afterward, and he proceeded to blast Romero (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I do (think it was Romero’s fault),” White said. “He literally went out and stood in the middle of the … when the bell rang in the first round, just stood there with his hands up. You know what I mean? You’re going in and facing the world champion. This is your last shot at a championship. You shouldn’t even be here getting this title fight. It should be Paulo Costa. If he didn’t get hurt, you don’t even get this opportunity. You go in, and you do everything you can to win that fight. He literally did none of that.”

“…A path back to the title after that performance?” White said, when asked about Romero’s championship future. “You’re crazy even asking that question right now. He looked terrible tonight. He literally gave up an opportunity tonight. Maybe he comes back in his next fight and looks like Yoel Romero. But if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect him to fight another 10 years looking like that.”

Is White being a bit unfair here?

Early on, Romero did tag Adesanya with a big shot and he narrowly missed on a couple of other occasions as well. So, that could be part of the reason he didn’t ramp up his volume enough, throughout the bout. It’s also likely why Adesanya didn’t pick up the pace until later in the bout.

That said, and as White alluded to, the bout was Romero’s third crack at the title. So, why he didn’t go for broke more often in the championship rounds is a good question. Especially since he was given the opportunity to fight for another belt, solely because Adesanya campaigned for the fight.

UFC 248 was hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.