Yoel Romero Gets Chance to Shine at UFC 178, but Is Smart Money on Tim Kennedy?
Yoel Romero spent much of the last 18 months establishing himself as the UFC middleweight divisionโs most wonderfully weird newcomer.
Romero is the hulking Olympic wrestling silver medalist who prefers flying knees and standing elbows to double-leg takedowns (though heโs got those, too). At 37 years old, his physique looks carved out of granite, and even though he comes to press conferences dressed like a lost cast member from Newsies, his mild mannerisms donโt quite convince us heโs the benevolent kind of monster.
.jpg?w=2560 "Colts Football")
His unconventional southpaw striking style is nonchalantโborderline lackadaisical, reallyโuntil suddenly it turns murderous. Heโs jetted to 4-0 in the Octagon since an April 2013 debut, including three knockouts, all while occasionally looking like he has no idea what heโs doing out there.
Saturday at UFC 178, Romero takes the biggest leap of his short career, meeting Tim Kennedy in a bout that likely leaves the winner a stoneโs throw from a title shot. As of this writing, the Cuba native and American Top Team product is going off as a slight favorite, but itโs also not unreasonable to wonder if Romeroโs oddball style is just waiting for someone like Kennedy to come along and undress it.
After all, Romero has been picking off mostly lower-tier contenders up to this point. His victories, while dominating, have been defined by thoughts of how terrifying heโd be if he werenโt such a work in progress.
His most recent winโa unanimous decision over Brad Tavares at UFC on Fox in April of this yearโwas his most complete performance yet but still left room for improvement. In that bout, we saw what Romero is capable of when he seizes the tempo early and keeps his opponent off balance with his unorthodox attacks.
Early in the first, he stunned Tavares with a smashing straight left (set up by a jumping kick, no less) and planted him on the mat by tearing his hips out from under him with the greatest of ease. In the second, he countered a Tavares punch, gashing him open with a standing elbow that made it seem like Romero was witnessing his own fight in slow motion.
He added some hard slams and occasionally dug for a couple of wrestler-friendly submissions while he had Tavares down. Maybe most importantly, Romero didnโt get tired, though Taveres wasnโt able to do much to push the pace, either.
Still, Romero couldn't find the finish, and there were times when he seemed a little indifferent about the proceedings. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan credited some of this to the fighter changing speeds to confuse his opponent, and thatโs probably accurate, but it also served to occasionally make Romero look out of sorts, maybe a little overconfident, or as if he were still getting his bearings in the cage.
Tavares was able to threaten the wrestling champion with takedowns of his own a couple of times, however briefly. Once again, it seemed like this success only occurred because Romero was so unconcerned about it. Thatโs fine for taking out up-and-comers like Tavares, but it could get Romero in trouble as he moves up the 185-pound ranks.
Nonetheless, our lasting impression of Romero is as a man on the rise. If anything, the Tavares fight makes it appear heโs improving quickly enough to reach his full potential in the limited window he has in our sport.
At this point, he has nothing left to prove against members of the middleweight B-team. Itโs time for a stiffer test, and UFC matchmakersโas they so often doโhave the perfect opponent in Kennedy.
The 35-year-old Greg Jackson fighter has a bakerโs dozen more professional fights than Romero. Heโs also not liable to show up out of shape or poorly prepared. Certainly, Kennedy will look to disrupt the wrestlerโs rhythm and test his cardio, and he wonโt be deterred (or surprised) by any of Romeroโs herky-jerky offense.
Heโs riding a four-fight win streak dating back to Jan. 2013, including three straight to begin his UFC career. His most recent pair of winsโa KO of Rafael Natal and a unanimous decision over Michael Bispingโestablished Kennedy as a legitimate contender in the rapidly accelerating middleweight division.
It would be difficult to find a more straightforward, fundamentally sound fighter on the UFCโs roster than the U.S. Army veteran. Heโs currently ranked No. 6 on the fight companyโs official 185-pound rankings. Kennedy still sits behind championship hopefuls like Vitor Belfort, Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold, but if he bests Romero on Saturday, it wonโt be by much.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this matchup is that while we view Kennedy as the more experienced, more complete MMA fighter, Romero stands to be much better at the one thing Kennedy does bestโwrestling. Still, if Romeroโs offense stalls, if he reverts into listlessness or if his unusual style leaves any openings, Kennedy will exploit them.
Either way, a new Top Five middleweight will be forged.
That alone makes Kennedy-Romero one of the more interesting fights on a UFC 178 pay-per-view card full of them.
.jpg?w=2560 "Gibbs, Lions Deal Close ๐")