Romero responds to Bisping’s refusal to fight him

Once upon a time, #2 middleweight contender Chris Weidman was to fight #4 Yoel Romero, and #3 Jacare Souza was to fight #1 Luke Rockhold, and whoever won best got a title shot at Michael Bisping. Then Rockhold got hurt. And then Bisping said if Romero won, he would refuse the fight, on the basis of a failed PED test and the prolonged benefits of drug use, even years later.

Now the native of Cuba has responded in an interview with Danny Segura for MMA Fighting.

“Brother, what do I have to possibly think about what Bisping says?” said Romero. “He has his own way of thinking and nobody is here to question other’s people’s thinking or desires. That’s what he desires, that’s what he wants.

“But now, is Michael Bisping the owner or the big boss of the UFC? He can wish and want things, but another thing is that I win, and the UFC sees that I’m truly the one that should be fighting for the title, he’s not going to be able to fight against that. So I don’t worry about, I don’t lose sleep or appetite over what Michael Bisping thinks or says. I’m going to do my job in New York, and we’ll see what happens.”

Romero is coming off a suspension that was only six months in length, due to the determination that it occurred inadvertently via a contaminated OTC supplement. Prior to that, the 39-year-old Romero beat Jacare via split decision at UFC 194 in December, which would seem to disqualify the Brazilian as #1 contender. So if Romero wins at UFC 205 on Saturday, the next title shot would appear to be his.