UFC’s Most Controversial People’s Champion: Yoel Romero episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 4, 2026 · 55 MIN

UFC’s Most Controversial People’s Champion: Yoel Romero

from Lionel Rivera's MMA Podcast · host Lionel Rivera-Ramirez

If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can start your claim in just a click without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://forthepeople.com/lionel🎨 Videos you’ll like: ✅ Michael Bisping Documentary: https://youtu.be/nzy3YfKqK7M?si=2B_NGeDD7DAEndbK ✅ Anderson Silva Documentary: https://youtu.be/-uSCsGFLe3g?si=XFuhfTb6pBlM9QXD ✅ Sean Strickland Documentary: https://youtu.be/WQEtjfD5iXg?si=WngBScFchjQT6mbO👉 Become a Member: https://bit.ly/LionelRivera👉 Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/lionelrivera👉 Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lionelrivera#UFC #UFCdocumentary #YoelRomeroYoel Romero’s career began long before the Octagon, as one of Cuba’s great freestyle wrestlers: a world champion, Olympic silver medalist, and international powerhouse who defeated elite names before leaving Cuba, rebuilding his life in Germany, and eventually crossing into MMA. After early knockouts in Europe and a Strikeforce loss to Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante that was followed by a serious neck injury, Romero arrived in the UFC as an older prospect with a young fighter’s explosiveness and a contender’s pedigree.At middleweight, Romero became one of the division’s most dangerous problems. He knocked out Clifford Starks in his UFC debut, stopped Ronny Markes, rallied to finish Derek Brunson, outpointed Brad Tavares, and survived the chaos of the Tim Kennedy “Stoolgate” fight before ending Kennedy in the third round. Wins over Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and Chris Weidman turned him from dangerous veteran into title-threat folklore: the Machida elbows, the disputed Jacare decision, and the flying knee on Weidman at UFC 205 all built the same reputation — Romero could look frozen for minutes, then change a fight in one violent burst.The tragedy of Romero’s UFC run is that his biggest chances kept arriving with complications attached. Robert Whittaker beat him for the interim middleweight title at UFC 213, then survived an even closer rematch after Romero missed championship weight. Romero knocked out Luke Rockhold in another interim-title situation but was ineligible for the belt after missing weight there too. The Paulo Costa war became another classic and another narrow loss, while the Israel Adesanya title fight became infamous for tension, inactivity, and frustration instead of closure.Romero’s legacy is not simple, which is exactly why fans still argue about it. There were highlight-reel knockouts, razor-thin decisions, missed-weight controversies, the Kennedy extra-stool debate, and the USADA case tied to a contaminated supplement. After the UFC, he carried that same strange mystique into Bellator and beyond, still dangerous deep into his forties against names like Phil Davis, Alex Polizzi, Melvin Manhoef, Vadim Nemkov, and Thiago Santos. More than a highlight-reel destroyer, Romero remains one of MMA’s great almost-champions: a world-class wrestler, a late-start phenomenon, and one of the most terrifying contenders to never win UFC gold.0:00 - Intro1:23 - The Humble Life2:40 - Pyramid4:05 - Machine5:24 - Olympics6:50 - Escaping Cuba7:34 - To the Wolves9:53 - Sponsor10:53 - How a Champ Thinks12:24 - Career is Done13:59 - UFC Debut15:23 - When I come back...16:38 - War18:00 - Stoolgate22:33 - Forget25:28 - Steroids27:41 - Flying Knee30:07 - For my Son35:06 - People's Champ38:48 - Rain43:27 - Don't Worry Son46:11 - Last Shot50:43 - Still Got It54:13 - GoMB01DCRUDFA21ZBMB013USBTIHHG52

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UFC’s Most Controversial People’s Champion: Yoel Romero

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