Yoel Romero may not have gotten a chance at the interim UFC middleweight title on Saturday night at UFC 221, but it appears he’ll soon have a shot at the real thing.
Romero, the division’s No. 1 ranked contender, scored a highlight-reel knockout over former champion Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC 221, but was disqualified from winning the interim strap after missing weight by 2.7 pounds. Yet while Romero’s weigh-in blunder ultimately cost him a chance at interim gold — and the type of payday that comes with being a champion — it may not have cost him the next title shot against UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.