This morning (Fri. June 8, 2018) No. 1-ranked UFC middleweight Yoel Romero came in overweight at 186 pounds for his scheduled 185-pound championship match-up against Robert Whittaker tomorrow night.
The bout was expected to headline the UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) in Chicago.
Romero was given two hours to cut the extra pound, but ultimately failed coming in at .2 pounds overweight. The concept of cutting weight for fights is an extremely controversial one in mixed martial arts (MMA), with many fighters cutting down perhaps much too far than they should for their own health.
This is the second middleweight title fight in a row that Romero has missed weight for, prompting many to suggest that it may be time for him to jump up a weight class. That may be true now more than ever, as we can now visibly see just how much the cut down to 185 pounds is hurting the Cuban powerhouse.
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani Tweeted out that Romero walked by the MMA media being held up by two people, and looked to be in a considerable amount of pain:
Romero just walked by us, being held up by two people, wincing in pain as they walked into the elevator. Very hard to see. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 8, 2018
MMA Junkie also captured a video of Romero walking after failing to make weight, and he did in fact look to be grimacing as a result of some extreme discomfort:
A visibly distraught @YoelRomeroMMA leaves #UFC225 official weigh-ins after missing by .2 pounds for his middleweight title fight.
Full results: https://t.co/ep3oYvcl0W pic.twitter.com/HM4kxtGjaC
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) June 8, 2018
There is currently no news on whether or not the fight will remain on the card, and what the conditions of the fight would be if it were. For the latest on the matter, follow along here.
