LAS VEGAS — At Friday morning's official weigh-in, there was concern that Yoel Romero would miss the target weight of 185 pounds for his UFC middleweight title opportunity against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248. It has happened twice before, with Romero coming in overweight against Luke Rockhold for an interim title at UFC 221 and against Robert Whitaker at UFC 225.
Fortunately, Romero made weight as the very last fighter to weigh in. But his opponent isn’t convinced that the 42-year-old’s conditioning will be up to par when they meet in the main event at T-Mobile Arena.
“He’s dead,” Adesanya told DAZN News after the celebratory weigh-in where he and Romero had an extensive staredown. “I can see it in his eyes. His left eye has been wonky since I first looked at him earlier in the week. I told him to take off his glasses and he obliged. I noticed his left was f—ed. I’m going to close one of them.”
Admittedly, Adesanya was a little surprised that Romero hit the 185-pound mark on the first try, but knows just how much cutting weight took out of him.
“I expected him to try and make weight,” he said. “I know for a fact that behind the scenes, on the digital scale, my birdie told me that when he made weight his team rejoiced and praised God.
“The same thing happened with Derek Brunson in New York (UFC 230) where he ran with literally a minute to spare until he had to weigh in. You can try to fake the funk but it’s hard to do it around me. I can smell it.”
"The Last Stylebender" believes he has many paths to victory against Romero and should this fight drag out into the later rounds, it will be easy pickings according to the champion.
“They keep saying he’s made of steel, right?" Adesanya said. "If it goes into deep waters, he’s going to sink to the bottom of the ocean.”
As for the cigar prop he brought to the scale with him for the celebratory weigh-in? It absolutely had a meaning.
“I don’t normally smoke Cubans, but I’m going to make it a special occasion (at UFC 248).”