Former Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero has been released by the UFC. The move was surprisingly reported over the weekend and later confirmed by president Dana White.
Romero has been part of the UFC since 2013 and is widely respected in the MMA world, even though he never held a belt. However, according to White, it was Romero’s age of 43 alongside his recent poor performances that prompted the UFC to make the decision.
White also added that Romero’s exit is just the start of “some serious cuts” that they plan for the end of the year. According to him, the UFC roster is “very inflated right now”, and up to 60 fighters are expected to be released in 2020.
Yoel Romero, on the other hand, won’t be ending his career in mixed martial arts just yet. His manager, Malki Kawa, told ESPN that Romero is ready to “move on and resume his career”, and that he is already having conversations with other promotions.
Romero started his UFC career with 8-0 run, but has been struggling in recent years. He lost four of his last five fights and was on a three-fight losing streak before getting cut.
His last bout came at UFC 248 back in March, when he unanimously lost to Israel Adesanya in a fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
