Yoel Romero Will Be Remembered for Refusing to Go for Broke in UFC Title Fights

Yoel Romero is universally regarded as one of the most terrifying human beings in the UFC. With a massive right hand, exceptional wrestling skills, and an unbreakable confidence, it must be said that such a physical specimen as Romero should have found much more success inside the Octagon than he has at the age of 42, and his confusing effort against Israel Adesanya in Saturday's main event at UFC 248 was the latest proof.

Even from a neutral standpoint, it's undeniable that Romero refuses to adjust his fighting style when going after the biggest prize in the middleweight division. As we unfortunately saw on Saturday, Yoel's entire game plan depends on his fellow competitor being willing to stand in the middle and trade punches. That would be fine... if this was boxing. Instead, is the UFC. Champions like Adesanya aren't going to force the issue by getting down and dirty.

That was the Soldier of God in the first three minutes of the fight, just trying to bait Adesanya in to an exchange. i couldn't believe it when I was watching it, and it set the tone for his entire "challenge" at the belt. Sorry, big man, but you can't whine that there wasn't any action for the fans when you yourself made no consistent attempts to engage. You're an Olympic wrestler -- how about trying some actual wresting? How about turning your powerful strikes into combinations?

Seriously, when the referee is trying to goad you into action, there's a problem.

Let's assume for one second that the scoring was skewed, and Yoel actually won Saturday night's championship fight (I'd vehemently disagree that he did). Is that really the champion you want representing the 185-pound division? What good is having explosive power and the ability to entertain the world if you're ultimately stuck with relying on the other guy hit you first?

Yoel is an entertainer. He's a world-class athlete who knows how to promote himself. But he is not a championship-level UFC fighter, and he basically threw away what is sure to be his final shot at a belt.

This is the enigma of Yoel Romero. No matter how much others will claim that Adesanya didn't do anything, he didn't really have to. He's the champion. The burden was on Yoel to take the belt away from the Stylebender, and he chose not to.

Romero was unable to beat Robert Whittaker, a champion whom Adesanya disposed of in emphatic fashion. He beat Luke Rockhold, but showed up over two pounds overweight, disqualifying him from a chance to win the title. He had his chance for a rematch with Whittaker, but missed weight again. Now draped in another championship "controversy," it's time for both fight fans and the UFC itself realize a harsh fact.

Yoel Romero was not meant to win this belt. Ever. As much as Adesanya deserves criticism for Saturday's no-action bout, it's Romero that truly shied away from his ultimate responsibility. And he almost certainly won't get another chance, a truly sad thing to have to reckon with given how preventable it was.