Yoel Romero Says UFC 230 Fight vs. Paulo Costa Off Amid Facial Injury Recovery

Yoel Romero won't be fighting Paulo Costa at UFC 230 on Nov. 3. 

During an appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, Romero said doctors believe he will need at least four or five months to heal from a broken orbital bone he suffered in his loss against Robert Whittaker at UFC 225 in May. 

"The doctor said, 'Yoel needs more time.' You know me. If you give me somebody, I take it," Romero told Helwani (h/t ESPN.com's Greg Rosenstein). "But you need to be smart. When the doctor says, 'You're ready,' you can go. I'm waiting."

UFC officially announced on July 24 that Romero vs. Costa would take place at the Madison Square Garden show in New York. 

That same day, Helwani reported Romero didn't agree to a fight and wasn't "in a rush to accept his next fight until he fully heals."

"I've signed the contract; it's on for me," Costa told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz last month. "He has his contract already; he just needs to get up the courage and sign it. But he will sign it. He doesn't have anyone else to fight."

Romero was supposed to challenge for the UFC middleweight championship in each of his last two fights against Whittaker and Luke Rockhold. Both bouts were changed to non-title matches after the 41-year-old weighed in above the 185-pound limit.