Four-time UFC title challenger “Soldier of God” Yoel Romero is no longer under contract with the UFC after seven years with the promotion.
With that being said we will not be seeing Yoel Romero soon or likely ever again in the UFC Octagon.
According to reports on the UFC website, Yoel Romero and the UFC have parted ways despite Romero having three fights remaining on his contract. The sudden move was confirmed by Romero’s longtime manager Malki Kawa.
Yoel Romero who is 43 years old as well a Cuban native is “ready to move on now and resume his career, and we are already talking to other promotions as we speak,” Kawa said. It’s not very clear what led up to Romero’s release.
The last time we saw Yoel Romero compete will likely haunt him. Romero came up short in his last chance at becoming a UFC champion in what most consider to be a quite underwhelming performance against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248. Yoel Romero lost the fight by unanimous decision, making him 0-3 in UFC title fights.
Yoel Romero is certainly on the shortlist of greatest fighters to never win UFC gold, and somewhat ironically he would have won the UFC interim middleweight title when he knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 221, but Romero failed to make weight and was thus ineligible to win the title
Unlike the other aging fighters, Romero did not have a noticeably significant dropoff and was still a main event caliber fighter. In fact, four of Romero's last five fights were title fights and main events, and the one that was not won him Fight of the Night against Paulo Costa at UFC 241. Yoel Romero became well known for his superhero athleticism and has become somewhat of a legend for some of the athletic feats he has pulled off, Romero's timelessly sculpted physique, along with his ability to consistently put on a show for the fans.
Romero made his UFC debut in 2013. Since then, he went 9-4 in the UFC, earning multiple performance bonuses along the way. Keep your eyes on the free agency market, because even at 43, Romero is likely to have suiters unless Romero decides to retire from the sport.
