Paulo Costa out, Israel Adesanya welcomes bout with Yoel Romero

Newly crowned middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has taken the MMA community by storm. His first title defence was scheduled to be against fellow undefeated talent Paulo Costa, however those plans will not play out as planned. UFC president Dana White told The Schmo that Costa has undergone surgery, and wont be able to challenge Adesanya for the title as planned. However, this opens up for former two-time title challenger Yoel Romero to get a shot at the title.

Romero made his desire to face Adesanya clear, and the middleweight champ is more than open for it.

You guys just finding out shit we been knowing for weeks and plotting on for months! #staywoke #iseeyousoonboi @YoelRomeroMMA pic.twitter.com/UQizrmv9sa

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) October 30, 2019

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While Romero is 1-3 in his last four fights, those statistics might be misleading. All three losses have come via very close decisions against top-tier competition. Two of those fights were against former champ Robert Whittaker, one of which ended in a split decision. Sandwiched between those losses Romero holds a brutal KO win over former champ Luke Rockhold.

Adesanya has become a true star since his ascent up the UFC rankings. He has dispatched the likes of Derrick Brunson and Anderson Silva on his way to the top of the division. He challenged Whittaker for the undisputed title after winning the interim title over Kelvin Gastelum. Adesanya put on a career-defining performance with a vicious knockout over Whittaker in the second round.

Would you like to see Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero?