Originally published at Yoel Romero leaving the UFC, manager comments on departure
Yoel Romero’s tenure at the UFC has come to an end with ESPN reporting the departure of the middleweight fighter.
Ariel Helwani of ESPN reports that the 43-year old is leaving the UFC with sources telling the outlet that the fighter had three fights remaining on his deal.
Manager Malki Kawa confirmed the story and tells ESPN:
While we didn’t expect Romero’s time in the UFC to end like this, we are grateful for the opportunities Mick Maynard gave him over the years. He’s ready to move on now and resume his career, and we are already talking to other promotions as we speak.
The Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling competed for Strikeforce and joined the UFC in 2013. He won his first eight fights with the promotion, including knockout victories against Lyoto Machida and former 185-pound champion Chris Weidman.
Romero challenged Robert Whittaker for the interim middleweight title at UFC 213 in July 2013 where Romero lost by unanimous decision. One year later, he lost a rematch to Whittaker by split decision at UFC 225.
Romero lost subsequent fights to Paulo Costa in August 2019 and dropped a decision to current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya this past March at UFC 248.