Middleweight Yoel Romero missed weight vs. Luke Rockhold at UFC 221, and won, earning him a title shot vs. division champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 225. Romero missed weight again, and lost via Split Decision. Welterweight Darren Till missed weight vs. Stephen Thompson at UFC Fight Night 130, and won, earning a title shot vs. division champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 228.
During a recent TUF 28 media luncheon, Whittaker was not impressed.
It’s like me going down to bantamweight, not making weight, winning because I’m much bigger and then getting a title shot, said Whittaker, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. It’s not fair. It’s not fair. Because on the flip side, the guys that are making weight don’t make it easy. It wasn’t easy to cut weight and make weight and do the job. We still had to struggle, we still had to diet weeks out. We’re just more professional at it. We just did it right.
The people who do make weight are also in a hard position. Because they’re in a position where they still need to make money to pay the bills, to earn a wage, to do their job. But they also have the support of hundreds of thousands of people who have come to see them fight or that are watching them on TV to watch a fight. The fans. That’s kind of why you fight — they drive the sport.
When you ask a guy, ‘Are you gonna take a fight if your opponent doesn’t make weight?’ Is it really asking? Does he really have a choice? When you back them into a corner like that, is there really a choice to be made? You have to look at the whole process behind it.
It’s a very funny topic, missing weight and getting title shots. I think the punishments should be more severe, but I don’t know.
Till may pull a Romero and miss weight again. If that happens, the UFC has a backup plan – Kamaru Usman will train for the fight and weigh in. However, Woodley appeared recently on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show and said he will fight Till whether he makes weight or not. Should Till, who is gigantic, not make 170, the belt will not be on the line.
TUF 28 debuts on Wednesday, and features Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum as opposing coaches.
