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What's the story?
A few weeks ago, the UFC officially announced an exciting Middleweight bout between Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero for UFC 230, however, in a recent turn of events, the latter has now pulled out of his scheduled bout against Costa.
In case you didn't know...
Formerly known as Paulo Borrachinha, 27-year-old Brazilian fighter Paulo Costa made his debut for the UFC on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106 with an impressive win over Gareth McLellan.
Costa's recent fight in the Octagon took place on the 7th of July, 2018 at UFC 226, when he defeated Uriah Hall via technical knockout in round two.
Romero, on the other hand, last competed in the Octagon back at UFC 225 against Robert Whittaker, but unfortunately lost the bout via split decision.
The heart of the matter
In a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN, Yoel Romero revealed that he's apparently not in any sort of condition to sign a fight against Paulo Costa for UFC 230 in November.
As noted, Romero claimed that he's apparently recovering from his previous surgery and won't be competing in November, whereas, also made it clear that he's simultaneously also not planning to move up to the Light Heavyweight Divison just yet. (H/T: Bloody Elbow)
"Maybe four or five months. The doctor said, ‘Yoel needs more time.’ You know me. If you give me somebody, I take it. But you need to be smart. When the doctor says, ‘You’re ready,’ you can go. I’m waiting.”- Yoel Romero stated.
In addition, Romero also added that he has recently spoken with the UFC and is not going up to the 205-pound division until he wins the Middleweight Championship.
“I talked with the UFC and said I’m not going to go up (to 205). Maybe in the future. People need to see the belt on my body. When I take the belt, maybe I’ll go up and fight a superfight.”
What's next?
Romero is currently expected to be out of action for the rest of 2018, as he recently noted that he will need at least a time period of four to six months in order to recover from his injuries.
