7 Things We Learned From UFC 205
5. The UFC Lost Out On A Potentially Lucrative Middleweight Title FIght
With Chris Weidman's constant complaints and trash talk since Michael Bisping won the middleweight title from Luke Rockhold, the two seemed to be on a collision course toward a championship bout. The only thing standing in the way of that happening was Yoel Romero.
Originally the winner of Romero/Weidman was scheduled to face the winner of Rockhold/Jacare Souza to determine the number one contender while Bisping busied himself campaigning for various money fights against Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz. Rockhold suffered an injury and had to pull out and the champ's big bouts never materialized so that left Jacare (unfairly) on the outside looking in while the Weidman/Romero victor was being granted a title shot.
The bout was pretty back and forth with the hometown fighter displaying some impressive wrestling against the Olympic silver medalist. After two closely contested rounds it looked like we might be heading toward a tight decision when "Solider of God" landed a flying knee that opened up Weidman's skull.
Yoel struck him so hard the rebound from the force of the blow caused "The All-American" to knee himself in the face, and in the aftermath of the stoppage he was gushing blood like a victim in a slasher movie. Romero unzipped his face like was mid-autopsy and painted the canvas with his blood.
In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan they announced that Yoel would be facing MIchael Bisping for the 185-pound belt and the champ responded by giving the Cuban fighter the finger while Romero tried his best to talk a little trash with his jumbled english. Bisping had said that he wanted Weidman to win because the two had beef and they needed to settle some business. A bout between the two could have done good numbers, with Bisping playing the role of agitator to Weidman's whiny, yet wholesome mama's boy persona.
Instead of a drama-filled build-up between two guys with genuine contempt for each other we're going to get Michael working his *ss off to sell a fight on his own against a guy with zero drawing power that is most likely going to take his head home and put it in a trophy case.