Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero was a disappointing affair. The main event did not live up to the buzz surrounding the fight, as the two fighters practically stood in the middle of the ring for 25 minutes, seemingly waiting for the other to make a move.
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The New Zealand fighter was not happy with what went down in the octagon. He blamed his opponent for the dud match, saying, “After the fight, I was really frustrated. It takes two to Tango. And my dance partner didn’t want to fight.” Yoel, for the entirety of the fight, was taunting Adesanya without doing much of fighting.
Adesanya then took it upon himself to give the crowd a bit of action. He ate away at Yoel’s right leg, doing some intense damage. His main aim throughout the fight remained focused on the Cuban’s right leg as he hacked away. The still middleweight champ landed more than a few brutal kicks to devastating effect and the shape in which he left Yoel’s leg said it all.
Although Yoel played it off cool, the damage was clear. His leg had swollen up considerably and had lumps all over it. “He has a good poker face. He’s playing. The legs didn’t lie. I f**ked his leg up,” ‘The Last Stylebender’ said in a backstage interview.
Who does Israel Adesanya blame?
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Adesanya clarified that Romero brought nothing to the fight, comparing the matchup to his fights against Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker. He added, “You look at a guy like Kelvin Gastelum, he brought the fight!”
Furthermore, the mixed martial fighter stated, ”I touched him up. I cut him. I was expecting more of a fight from him. Even in the fifth round..”
"My dance partner didn't want to dance."
🏆 @Stylebender speaks with @MeganOlivi after the main event. #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/nbxaalvofg
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020
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The main event left the fans with less than what the fight initially promised. Even Adesanya and UFC President Dana White wanted more from the main event. Is Yoel’s age or fighting style to blame, or are both fighter’s equally responsible?