Yoel Romero’s manager is going to bat for his fighter ahead of UFC 248.
On March 7, Romero will challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship. The bout has been criticized as Romero is coming off back-to-back losses. While some have argued that both decision losses are debatable, the fact remains that the “Soldier of God” has been defeated in his last two outings.
Kawa Says Costa’s Loss Is Romero’s Gain
Paulo Costa would’ve been next in line to challenge Adesanya but he had to undergo surgery. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Kawa said that the timing is right for Romero to receive the title opportunity.
“This is still entertainment, so this is a business where the most exciting fighters are always going to be put on the biggest platforms, to be able to fight for the biggest prizes,” Kawa said. “If you are not exciting, it’s kind of hard to put you in a position to grow and be there. Taking nothing away from Costa, he apparently has an injury to his bicep and whatnot. It’s unfortunate for him. But one person’s unfortunate situation is another person’s fortunate situation.
“In our case they have no one else at 185 who can actually do that. It wasn’t just an example of having nobody else. Not having anybody else there, it’s only one part of it. You could’ve had someone else jump Yoel. Someone that drops down from light heavyweight to drop down to 185 to get that shot.”
Given the circumstances, was Yoel Romero the right choice as Israel Adesanya’s next title challenger?
