EXCLUSIVE | Yoel Romero on Michael Bisping: I’m Not Sure If He’s a Coward or Not

Tomorrow night, on the main card of the historic UFC 205, former Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero will take on former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. In advance of this pivotal showdown, the Cuban contender joined Chris Taylor on BJPenn.com’s Rapid Fire to discuss the bout, and what it could mean for his fighting future.

Though streaking middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is likely to have something to say about it, this Weidman vs. Romero bout is likely to produce the next challenger for reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping.

In his interview with Taylor, Romero explained that he already feels he’s done enough to warrant a shot at the champ, but that his focus remains firmly on his looming bout with Weidman.

“If it is about merit and deserving, then everyone already knows that I would be discussing the title  fight with Bisping,” he explained. “Everybody knows that I am and should be the number one contender. But besides that, we are on this movie, this episode. The most important thing right now is just to overcome this step. So that is all that I am thinking about right now. Why think about tomorrow when the present day needs its own work.”

a

While it will be hard to deny Romero a shot if he defeats Weidman, Bisping himself recently expressed a disinterest in Romero as a potential opponent. In fact, the champ went so far as to say he’d refuse a fight with the Cuban contender.

Surprisingly, Romero isn’t too concerned with these comments from Bisping.

“I’m not sure if he is a coward or not, but he knows that in his heart. Who cares what I think? Who  cares what he might want? The only thing that matters is what God wants, what the fans think and what the UFC asks for.”

Romero also commented on Bisping’s recent tendency to ask for the fights he believes are the most lucrative, rather than the ones that make sense from a rankings standpoint.

“He is just trying to make some money,” Romero said. “It is what it is. There’s nothing else. What he is doing is looking for easy fights, easy money and fast money. Tell him to go get a job with Donald Trump.”

Do you think Romero will deserve the next middleweight title shot with a win over Weidman? Sound off, PENN Nation!