Yoel RomeroIn other words, if Romero had weighed in at the 185-pound weight limit for middleweights with the same bout outcome, he would not only have the UFC middleweight belt ... but also would have received his full purse.
That scenario isn't out of the realm of possibility. Sporting News had scored the fight as being even headed into Round 3.
"I'm so sorry for the weight cut being so bad for me," Romero told Jon Anik in his post-fight interview. "That was the first time in my career I couldn't get down."
"For the first two rounds, it was a tactical battle as Rockhold controlled the first round using primarily his leg kicks and connecting on the better strikes to keep Romero at bay," Sporting News reported. "Romero came around in the second round using quick flurries to keep Rockhold guessing. Romero finished it off in the third round when blasting Rockhold with a left hand."
Romero finished off the champ with a left uppercut. End of fight.
Adding to the oddity of the match ... Romero was unable to stand up inside the Octagon for the post-bout interview, leading to fears that Rockhold had broken his opponent's leg earlier in the match. Later it was revealed the injury was not that severe.
With the win, Romero -- a two-time Olympic freestyle competitor who owns the distinction of defeating some of the world's best wrestlers of the era, including current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, and Les Gutches -- is now 13-2, while Rockhold falls to 16-4.
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