Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Yoel Romero after coming up short at UFC 213?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC 213 blew the roof off T-Mobile Arena last Saturday night (July 8, 2017) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For complete UFC 213 results and play-by-play coverage click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Fabricio Werdum, whose title hopes were derailed after losing to Alistair Overeem (recap). And Travis Browne, who lost his fourth straight against Aleksei Oleinik (highlights), which prompted Dana White to suggest retirement for “Hapa.”

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?

Yoel Romero.

After starting his UFC career with eight straight wins, “Soldier of God” looked to put the cherry on top by claiming the interim Middleweight title in his main event fight against Robert Whittaker, all while securing himself a fight against Michael Bisping.

Unfortunately, Romero came up short, losing a unanimous decision win to “The Reaper,” who put on a masterful performance despite coming in with a bum leg. Romero looked to be in control early on, but Robert made the proper adjustments to convince the judges.

Full video highlights here.

Many have pinpointed Yoel’s inability to keep peppering Robert’s injured leg as the reason for coming up short. So how does “Soldier of God” respond to that evaluation?

“Yes, of course (wanted to keep kicking injured leg), but he didn’t give me the opportunity,” Romero explained during the post-fight presser. “When I would try to do the same side kick to the leg, he would switch his leg, and I was running the risk of remaining in his [striking] guard, within reach of his hands.”

As for what’s next for Yoel, the upbeat Cuban said he still has his eyes firmly set on the title and he won’t stop until he gets it.

“I’m fine, I’m ready. I have a pain in my left leg so let’s hope it’s nothing serious, but we’re still in the battle,” Romero said. “The game is not over, we have a second part. It’s to be continued.”

So who should be the one to welcome Romero back inside the cage following his first UFC defeat?

I’m thinking Luke Rockhold.

Rockhold hasn’t stepped foot inside the cage due to injury after coughing up his strap to Michael Bisping at UFC 199 over a year ago. And all the while he’s been unhappy with the way the division has been working since he’s been on the sidelines.

He was briefly lined upfor a potential scrap against Gegard Mousasi, but since “Dreamcatcher” has yet to come to terms on a new deal with the promotion, that fight has fallen by the wayside.

I personally like Romero vs Rockhold better, as both are coming off a loss and a need a win in the worse way if they want to get to back to the big dance again.

Anyone oppose?