Like a fine wine, Yoel Romero is getting better and better with age. The 36-year-old Cuban takes on Derek Brunson in a main card bout at this Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 35 event, and with a victory, Romero would move to 3-0 since joining the UFC last year and dropping down to 185 pounds.
This is a big fight for “Soldier of God” because, if Romero finishes Brunson like I expect him to, he will get a date with a top 10 opponent in his next bout. And it would be very much deserved.
A silver medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games, Romero is a super athlete who made his MMA debut in 2009 and who has thus far racked up a 6-1 record in the sport, with all six victories coming by way of knockout. His only loss came to Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in Strikeforce, and that fight was at 205 pounds. Furthermore, Cavalcante tested positive for PEDs in his very next fight — just something to keep in mind.
Since making his UFC debut last year, Romero has defeated Clifford Starks via flying knee and Ronny Markes via KO to emerge as a dark horse contender at 185 pounds. With Chris Weidman defeating Anderson Silva and opening up the division, it’s not that farfetched to think that Romero could get a title shot by the end of 2014, or in early 2015.
Right now, he’s one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division, and his look is highly marketable. With just one glance at Romero, you can see that this guy is a scary proposition for any 185-pounder in the UFC. He’s built like a tank, fast as hell, and is skilled in both the grappling and striking facets of MMA. And considering his age, I definitely feel like the UFC matchmakers will try to push him up the ladder faster than they would a younger fighter. So in a way, his age might actually benefit him, not hinder him like it does with many other older fighters.
For me, the most intriguing thing about Romero is that even though he’s a world-class wrestler, he’s mostly used his hands and feet to win fights. So far, that’s been enough to get him six victories, but when he fights another striker, it will be interesting to see if he decides to show off his grappling skills and take his opponent down. Because with that sort of wrestling background, and now competing against opponents his own size rather than the giants at 205, I can see Romero being an extremely dominant force at middleweight, even against the best 185-pounders in the world.
With a fighter so thickly-muscled like Romero, cardio is always a concern, but considering two of his six knockouts have come in the third round, including in his last outing against Markes, I’m not so worried about him gassing out as much as I am about his teammates at American Top Team, Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard, two welterweights who have shown that they significantly slow down as their fights go on. And considering those two are freak athletes as well, it makes Romero look like even more like a stud in comparison.
Romero isn’t being given an easy fight this week against Brunson, who is 2-0 in the Octagon, with wins over Chris Leben and Brian Houston. However, it’s a winnable fight for the Cuban to be sure, and if he wins in devastating fashion like I expect him to, don’t be surprised if the fans start to really get behind Romero. And don’t be surprised if he gets a crack at the belt sooner rather than later.
• Derek Brunson vs. Yoel Romero
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
**********
UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs. Philippou is due to take place on January 15, 2014 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 35 will be.
