Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will face off against Yoel Romero at UFC 205 in New York City.
Long Island’s own Chris Weidman will be fighting on the UFC’s debut show at the famous Madison Square Garden. MMAjunkie reported on Thursday that Weidman will fight Yoel Romero on Saturday, November 12th in Manhattan. The UFC hasn’t announced the matchup themselves, but it’s expected to be made official soon.
Weidman (13-1) lost his UFC middleweight title by 4th round TKO to Luke Rockhold in the UFC 194 co-main event. It also marked the first defeat of his MMA career. Weidman was scheduled to immediately rematch Rockhold at UFC 199, but pulled out with a neck injury, which later required surgery. That opened the door for Michael Bisping to come in and take the title away from Rockhold. Weidman had previously successfully defended his middleweight title three times, against the Brazilian trio of Anderson Silva (whom he KO’d to win the title), Lyoto Machida, and Vitor Belfort.
Romero (12-1) hasn’t fought since a split decision win over Jacare Souza, also at last December’s UFC 194. He was in hot water after failing an out-of-competition USADA test, which could’ve seen him banned for 2 years. After filing an appeal, the Cuban’s suspension was ultimately reduced to 6 months after USADA confirmed that Romero used a tainted supplement, which contained the banned supplement ibutamoren, a growth hormone secretagogue. Romero is a perfect 7-0 at middleweight, including a KO of Lyoto Machida, plus a controversial TKO vs. Tim Kennedy, with all of his fights in the division taking place in the UFC.
UFC 205’s main card will be broadcast live on pay-per-view. No main event has been named, but other fights such as Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens, Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum, Thiago Alves vs. Al Iaquinta, and Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy are expected to be part of this historic lineup.
More News
UFC269: Venezuelan Julianna Peña Submits Brazilian Amanda Nunes, Becomes the new UFC World Champion
Oliveira, Poitier Make Weight for UFC World Title
Hot UFC269: this Saturday Oliveira vs Poirier Ready for War in Las Vegas