Israel Adesanya just pulled back the curtain on one of his own championship defenses, straight up admitting his title fight against Yoel Romero was ‘one of the most boring fights in history.’ You heard that right. “The Stylebender,” a guy known for highlight-reel knockouts and insane performances, didn’t mince words about his middleweight title retention against Romero at UFC 248 back in March 2020. It was a snoozer, plain and simple, and Adesanya isn’t trying to hide it.
When Two Knockout Artists Decide Not To Knockout
This wasn’t just some casual observation. Adesanya himself called out the fight when comparing UFC 332’s Anthony Wint to Romero. The numbers don’t lie, either: across five full rounds, both fighters combined for only 88 total strikes landed. That’s it. For a championship bout between two of the most dangerous men in the game, that’s shockingly low. Adesanya explained that while both he and Romero are legitimate knockout artists, they ended up paying each other way too much respect in the Octagon. He admitted, “I had one of the most exciting fights in the history of the planet [versus Kelvin Gastelum] that’s inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but I also had one of the most boring fights in the history of the company alongside Yoel Romero.” Talk about honesty.
The “Zinger” That Kept Both Men Away
Adesanya dove into the mental chess match that played out, detailing one moment in particular. “When he hit me with that zinger, I seen four in front of me, and I thought, ‘OK, he’s going to come in for the kill.’” He was ready to pick which “four” Romeros to fight, but it never happened. Romero “just played the game,” and the fight never ignited. Adesanya made it clear there was a mutual understanding of the danger. “He’s a dangerous man. There’s a reason he didn’t want to come close and there’s a reason I didn’t want to risk again getting hit by that zinger.” It was a cautious affair, with both fighters seemingly more worried about the other’s power than pressing the action. Adesanya even gave a “shout out to him” for the mutual respect of their power. You gotta appreciate a fighter who can be that candid about his own performances, good or bad. And speaking of Romero, the dude’s still out there proving he’s dangerous at 49 years old. Just this past Saturday, he lost a BKFC fight to Darren Till at AO Arena in Manchester, England, but he still managed to cut and drop the Brit. The man clearly still has that “zinger” in him.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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