A middleweight bout between Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa is once again off.
Originally planned for last week’s UFC 230, “Soldier of God” vs. “The Eraser” was tentatively moved to the Jan. 19 card in Brooklyn after Romero wasn’t medically cleared to compete at Madison Square Garden. Costa decided to wait for Romero, but has now been forced out of the card due to an injury, sources confirmed to MMA Fighting following a report by ESPN.
Costa, 12-0 as a professional MMA fighter, saw the bout against Romero as the last step before a shot at the UFC middleweight title. He won’t need surgery, but can’t recover in time to fight in January, sources said.
According to ESPN, Romero (13-3) is still hoping to headline the first UFC card on ESPN+, and he wants to face former 185-pound champion Anderson Silva.
The Fight Night event will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The only match-ups already officially announced for the card are Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich and Belal Muhammad vs. Geoff Neal.
More News
Quiñonero fights Verdadero in Resbak 2
Resbak 2 at Malungon, Sarangani Province on July 12
Garde stops Baliente in 1st round in “Resbak”