Yoel Romero has missed weight for his interim title bout against former champ Luke Rockhold.
Romero missed weight on his second attempt Friday night (Saturday in Australia), coming in at 187.7 pounds. He needed to make 185. He had originally weighed in at 188.3.
The fight is going ahead after Rockhold accepted the fight after talks with the UFC.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted that the fight was on and that Dana White text to say fight on however Romero can’t win belt.
Dana White, via text, on UFC 221: “Romero took this fight on short notice when Whittaker fell out and he didn’t get a full camp. I appreciate him stepping up and taking the fight. If wins he doesn’t get the belt, if Rockhold wins he’s the interim champ”
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 10, 2018
White seemed surprisingly forgiving of Romero saying he only had 4 weeks to prepare for the fight, stepping into replace injured champion Robert Whittaker.
“Romero took this fight on short notice when [Robert] Whittaker fell out, and he didn’t get a full camp,” White said. “I appreciate him stepping up and taking the fight.”
Romero missing weight led to a strained face off between the pair.
Submission Radio recorded the weigh in and face off live.
Rockhold was angry afterward and tweeted:
Should have be doing the salsa in the sauna. Some bullshit as usual
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) February 10, 2018
Cheater. From fence grabbing, to round stalling, to this!!!
It’s an interim title. Who cares? UFC hands these titles out way too often.
Josh Russell Liam Ellis
Makes it all the more sweet when he bursts Luke’s face open and denies him an Interim Title that he absolutely does not deserve. He got pieced up in his last fight, and got KO’d in the fight before that.