UFC 248: Yoel Romero Explains Why Run at 205 Isn’t Coming

Since Yoel Romero needs to hit the 185 mark this Friday, if he hopes to win the UFC’s middleweight title on Saturday, talk about the wrestler’s weight has been making the rounds again. But, recently Romero outlined why no one should expect to see him making a permanent move to light-heavyweight.

Romero shoots down run at 205

The reason there are discussions about Romero making 185 this Friday, is because, in 2018, he missed weight for back-to-back bouts. Further, Romero is turning 43 in April, and many fighters have more difficulty making weight as they get older. This is why for some time, there’s been talk about if or when Romero could move up to light-heavyweight to fight out the remainder of his career.

But, during a recent media luncheon to promote his bout this Saturday with Israel Adesanya, Romero shot down the possibility of a run at 205. Here’s some of what the powerful wrestler had to say (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“When I’m training, I go down (in weight), and when I’m training, normally when I have a good training, (I weigh a) maximum 210 (pounds),” Romero said at a media event Monday in Los Angeles. “It’s not possible. When I’m not training, boom – yeah, heavyweight. But when I’m training – 210, 208, 210, 208. It’s not possible for me. It’s not possible because I’m training good. I have respect for my job. When I’m training, I know what I need to do for good training.

“When you don’t sleep good, and when (you’re not eating healthy), something wrong happens: mistake. … When I have a good training, it’s not possible to go up. The (potential opponents) are so heavy.”

So, this is somewhat interesting to hear, as there certainly seemed to be an expectation out there that Romero would move to 205 at some point. But, it’s also worth noting that Romero is only 5’10 tall. So, not only would he be giving up size to a lot of light-heavyweights, his range would also take a hit in that weight class.

Now, if Romero doesn’t make weight this Friday, however, the UFC may give him no choice but to fight at light-heavyweight moving forward. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen.

Romero comments on weight misses

And so why did Romero miss weight for his rematch with Robert Whittaker and his bout with Luke Rockhold? According to the Cuban star, the fact he took the Rockhold fight on short notice, played a key factor.

“Everybody is different, but no excuses,” Romero said. “You need to do it because it’s the one mandatory thing you need to do as a professional – as long as you have enough time to do it.”

If you’re wondering, at the media luncheon, Romero reported he weighed 198. So, one would think that he’ll be able to make 185 by Friday.

UFC 248 will be hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.