Dana White: UFC ‘Looking At’ Yoel Romero for Israel Adesanya’s Next Title Defense

Israel Adesanya was one of the breakout stars of 2019, and it appears the UFC middleweight champion has an opponent lined up for his first title defense.

“The Last Stylebender” was initially expected to face Paulo Henrique Costa after claiming the 185-pound belt with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 this past October. However, those plans changed when Costa suffered a torn bicep that will sideline him through the first quarter of next year.

Adesanya quickly transitioned to a potential showdown with Yoel Romero, but UFC president Dana White previously had designs on making “The Soldier of God” win another bout before earning No. 1 contender status.

“[Adesanya] wants to fight Yoel Romero,” White said in November. “He wants Romero. So we’re talking about giving Romero a fight coming up soon here and then (Adesanya) will fight the winner of that fight.”

However, plans seem to have changed in recent weeks. In an interview with ESPN, White indicated that Adesanya vs. Romero will be next. Romero has lost three of his last four bouts in the Octagon and has twice missed weight for scheduled championship bouts against Whittaker. Romero narrowly lost to Costa in a contender’s bout at UFC 241.

We're looking at Yoel Romero,” White told ESPN. “He [Adesanya] wants that fight. He wants to fight Yoel Romero. Nobody wants to fight Yoel Romero. Nobody's screaming I want Yoel Romero. He is.”

White also admitted that the Las Vegas-based promotion already has a timetable in mind for the championship fight. He just wouldn’t reveal exactly what it was.

“Yeah [we have a timeframe], but we're not announcing it yet,” White said.