Adesanya Revisits 'Boring' Yoel Romero Fight at UFC 248

Israel Adesanya still can't defend what happened when he fought Yoel Romero at UFC 248, calling their 2020 middleweight title bout one of the dullest main events the promotion has ever put on.

Adesanya beat Romero by unanimous decision that night in Las Vegas to retain his belt, but the fight itself delivered almost nothing. Breaking the bout down recently on YouTube, Adesanya put it bluntly: "I had one of the most exciting fights in the history of the planet [Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum] that's inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but I also had one of the most boring fights in the history of the company alongside Yoel Romero."

Why Did Adesanya and Romero Avoid Engaging?

Adesanya says the standstill came down to respect, not a lack of ability. Both men had built their reputations on highlight-reel finishes, yet neither wanted to be the one to open the door. Adesanya pointed to a single moment that froze the fight in place, a hard Romero counter that scrambled his vision. "When he hit me with that zinger, I seen four in front of me, and I thought, 'OK, he's going to come in for the kill,'" Adesanya said. "So whoever comes, if I saw four of them, then it would have been four, then I'd have to pick which one, but he didn't."

That standoff defined the next 25 minutes. Adesanya doesn't put the blame solely on his opponent, either. "He just played the game and yeah, it was a boring fight," Adesanya said. "But he's a dangerous man. There's a reason he didn't want to come close and there's a reason I didn't want to risk again getting hit by that zinger, so yeah, shout out to him."

The Comments Came While Breaking Down UFC 332

Adesanya brought up the Romero fight while critiquing UFC 332, a card that's taken heat largely because of its thrown-together vacant flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong. His point wasn't about talent level. It was about buildup. Adesanya argued the card itself isn't as bad as its reputation suggests, but that it's missing the storylines that get fans invested. "The only thing is that it lacks a bit of star power and also storylines," he said, pointing to things like Embedded episodes and fighter vlogs as the tools that normally hook an audience before fight night. "Everyone likes a storyline," he added.

The timing of Adesanya's comments lines up with Romero's recent run in bare-knuckle boxing, where he lost to Darren Till. Adesanya didn't go into that fight specifically, but the resurfacing of UFC 248 talk comes as Romero remains active outside the UFC cage.

For bettors, the Adesanya-Romero fight is a reminder of how style matchups and fighter psychology can flip a title bout with two legitimate knockout artists into a grind that guts the over on total strikes or finish props. It's the kind of card history that sharp bettors factor in when two counter-strikers who respect each other's power are matched up again, since live fight dynamics can matter more than the names on the marquee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero fight?

Israel Adesanya defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision at UFC 248 in March 2020 to retain the UFC middleweight title.

Why did Israel Adesanya call his fight with Yoel Romero boring?

Israel Adesanya said he and Yoel Romero both avoided engaging because they respected each other's power, especially after Romero landed a hard counter that affected Adesanya's vision early in the fight.

What did Israel Adesanya say about UFC 332?

Israel Adesanya said UFC 332, headlined by a vacant flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong, suffers more from a lack of storylines and star power than from the quality of its matchups.