Romero says he declined several fights before unexpected UFC release
Yoel Romero says his UFC release was due to several matchmaking disagreements, not because of his ongoing losing streak.
The former middleweight title challenger parted ways with the UFC earlier in December before signing a multi-fight deal with Bellator this week.
"First and foremost, (my release) was something that was completely unexpected," Romero told ESPN's Ariel Helwani through an interpreter, according to MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun.
"I was already training very hard, getting ready. We were already thinking of fighting in January or February at 185 or 205 (pounds). We were looking to fight with the top three in either division."
Romero, who was ranked No. 5 in the UFC's middleweight division at the time of his departure, has lost three straight bouts against champion Israel Adesanya, No. 2 Paulo Costa, and then-champ Robert Whittaker.
The 43-year-old said the promotion recently offered him bouts against Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson - who are both ranked inside the top 10 - but he wasn't interested.
"We explained to them that it didn’t make sense for (me) to fight with these young men," Romero said. "We had an idea we were chasing: the world title. The way we were training, making it happen, we knew that we had one or two fights and then we would go for the belt. Our thought was that fighting any of these guys that are in the back of the roster, that it was taking steps backward, not forward."
Romero said the UFC then pitched a light heavyweight bout against Johnny Walker, but "The Soldier of God" wanted to fight a top contender like Thiago Santos or Glover Teixeira if he were to move up to 205 pounds.
"My managers were back and forth non-stop with the matchmakers and with (UFC president Dana White), and there was no accordance," Romero said.
"Once they reached back, it was to let (me) know that we couldn't come to an agreement, and they were going to commit to the release."
Romero had been a UFC fighter since 2013. He's expected to make his Bellator debut as a light heavyweight in 2021.