Yoel Romero will get next crack at trying to dethrone Michael Bisping from the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight mountain, after he stamped his ticket to the big dance with a third-round knockout of Chris Weidman back at UFC 205.
And he has Dan Henderson’s vote to defeat Bisping, something "Hendo" couldn’t accomplish in his final fight at UFC 204, falling to "The Count" via unanimous decision.
"Probably Romero (wins). Hopefully they can get his corner stalling tactics to a minimum for the fight. I would pick Romero based on his style," said Dan during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour.
While the living legend gives "Soldier of God" credit for being a great fighter, he isn’t a big fan of his aforementioned corner stalling tactics and "cheating" habits.
"Get out there and (fight), he spends a little too much time cheating and stalling, but he’s a tough fighter, good wrestler, powerful. I think he runs out of gas a bit and I think that is going to be Bisping’s chance to win it, with the gas tank he always has."
Romero drew the ire of the mixed martial arts (MMA) community for his part in "stool gate" at UFC 178, as he sat on his stool and refused to leave his corner long after referee John McCarthy instructed him to do so, earning himself a bit more rest in the process.
With plenty of air in his lungs, Romero was able to finish Tim Kennedy in round three after almost getting finished himself in the previous frame. Furthermore, during his bout against Weidman, Romero opted to give himself a shower with his water bottle in between rounds.
That also stalled the start of the next round for a few seconds, as he had to be dried off by members of the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). Whether or not that is what "Hendo" referred to as cheating, or if he was referring to his recent positive drug test, is unclear.
Romero gonna Romero.
Antics aside, Henderson — who will come out retirement (momentarily) to face Jon Jones at Submission Underground 2 on Dec. 11, 2017 — believes "Soldier of God" has what it takes to knock "The Count" off his pedestal when they collide in early 2017.
Anyone disagree?