UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero was initially set to fight for the title in a highly anticipated rematch against reigning champion Robert Whittaker back at UFC 225. After missing weight for the event and his chance to fight for the belt, the fighter has decided to file a lawsuit against the Illinois State Athletic Commission.
Yoel Romero missed weight for UFC 225 by an entire pound. The ISAC then granted “Soldier of God” an additional two hours to cut weight for an additional weigh in opportunity.
However, the fighter was reportedly halted from his weight cut roughly an hour into the two hour window and forced to weigh-in. This time, Romero missed weight by a total of 0.2 pounds.
Consequently the fighter was fined 30 percent of his fight purse, was no longer eligible to fight for the title in his rematch against Whittaker and was no longer eligible for the “Fight of the Night” bonus that the match would later receive. Speaking on the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Romero’s manager Abe Kawa would later come forward to reveal that Romero planned to not make weight at the first weigh-in because his camp was allegedly informed by multiple officials that the fighter would be granted an additional two hours to weigh-in, if he was within three pounds.
“The whole plan for this was to be on weight by 11 am. That was the plan. Once 5 O’clock in the morning came around I was texted by like three different people, and these are UFC officials, telling me ‘Hey, as long as he’s within three pounds by 11 am, he’ll get an extra two hours.’
“So, I get with George Lockhart and say “Hey, if for whatever reason we need to do, let’s use those extra two hours. Why would we kill our guy trying to get him down that bad, that fast? If we can stretch it out, let’s stretch it out.
“He goes, ‘Oh, brilliant idea. Let’s do it.’ The whole plan was to use those two hours.”
Later on The MMA Hour, Romero’s agent Malki Kawa revealed that they plan on suing ISAC for what they believe to have been an injustice.
“We’re gonna sue them. I’m gonna send the paperwork soon. It’s going out probably this week.”
