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What's the story?
Number 1 middleweight contender, Yoel Romero, has set his eyes on his next opponent, who he hopes to be Anderson Silva. After a disappointing pull-out by Paulo Costa from UFC Brooklyn due to an injury, Romero seems to be ready to take up another challenge instead. With Anderson Silva eyeing a comeback in January, next year, will we see him grace the Octagon after nearly a 2-year layoff?
In case you didn't know..
During the initial match-making days for the UFC 230 event that took place on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden, Yoel Romero was all set to square off against the number 8 middleweight contender, Paulo Costa.
After being rendered medically unfit to compete at UFC 230, Romero was re-scheduled to fight Costa at UFC Brooklyn, on January 19th. This postponed fight has now been scrapped once again, as Costa suffered a freak injury that will delay his return back to the UFC up until March 2019.
Paulo Costa said that he expects Yoel Romero to return the favour by waiting until March to fight him after he did the same by being sympathetic of the latter's Orbital Bone surgery. Romero, however, seems to have no particular plans on waiting on this match-up, but instead, is willing to trot forward towards a mega-fight against the great Anderson Silva.
Prior to his USADA suspension, Silva was supposed to face Kelvin Gastelum for the main event at UFC Shanghai. Silva served his suspension after testing positive for Methyltestosterone and Hydrochlorothiazide but was later discovered to have ingested a tainted supplement.
The heart of the matter
Following just a single victory out of three recent fights, Yoel Romero is looking to make a comeback after his split decision loss against middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker.
Romero recently expressed his lack of interest to wait on Costa's return after his injury and instead wants to fight Anderson Silva for the main event at UFC Brooklyn, on January 19th. Interestingly enough, Silva is eyeing a comeback to the UFC in the month of January, leaving us expecting the possibility of a fight with Romero.
Although little is known about the severity of Paulo Costa's injury, a recent report by Ariel Helwani for ESPN suggested that he would not have to undergo a surgery. Costa has had an unbeaten run with the UFC so far, with wins coming against the likes of Garreth McClellan, Oluwale Bamgbose, Johny Hendricks and Uriah Hall.
Earlier last month, Anderson Silva did accept Conor McGregor's open social media challenge for a bout, hence also leaving the odds of a fight between them open.
What's next?
After a controversial decision win over Derek Brunson in February 2017, Anderson Silva will be looking to make a statement in his comeback fight. Stylistically, Silva and Romero seem to be a perfect match for each other.
Who do you think Anderson Silva will face in a likely return in January? Would it be Conor McGregor, Yoel Romero or does the UFC have other plans for "The Spider"?
Leave your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below!
