UFC 205's Yoel Romero says it's not up to Michael Bisping whether he fights for title

NEW YORK – UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero said he hasn’t heard what champ Michael Bisping has to say about him, but he doesn’t put too much stock in it, anyway.

After Bisping pointedly said he wouldn’t fight Romero should he beat ex-champ Chris Weidman tonight at UFC 205, Romero shrugged off the declaration and said the champ won’t dictate opportunities.

“First of all, I haven’t heard what the champion said,” Romero (11-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who meets Weidman (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on UFC 205’s pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York, told MMAjunkie. “I don’t have time for that. I only have time to focus for one sole purpose. But the champion is neither the president nor the owner of the UFC.”

Those jobs, of course, are held by UFC President Dana White and a small team of executives led by WME-IMG’s Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell. So far, nobody has pumped the brakes on a Romero title shot – except Bisping, who thinks Romero’s failed drug test at UFC 194 disqualifies him from the opportunity.

Romero convinced UFC anti-doping partner USADA that the failed drug test was the result of a contaminated supplement, but Bisping isn’t buying that explanation.

“I read an article recently that said that it takes years for the advantages of taking steroids to get out of your system,” Bisping said in an interview this past week on SiriusXM Radio. “Just because you don’t test positive anymore doesn’t mean you’ll lose all the extra muscle and things like that that you were able to achieve. So I think he needs longer. I don’t see why he should be rewarded.”

Bisping instead pushed for a fight with Weidman, who’s had plenty of pointed words for the champ since he upset Luke Rockhold in May for the title and then defended the belt this past month against Dan Henderson.

Even Weidman, the No. 3 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, has had words for No. 4 Romero. The ex-champ accused Romero of being a cheater and said he wanted to make the undefeated UFC fighter pay and secure a title shot, which he said he’s been promised.

But, of course, Romero aims to scratch that opportunity and step in line. While he’s not as insistent as others in the middleweight division, he isn’t any less serious about getting the chance.

“Who am I to say what God has pre-planned, but God also knows what I want in my heart,” he said.

Romero’s trip to Madison Square Garden is not his first. He wrestled at an international tournament in 2003 and went 2-2 in his matches.

“But it’s always amazing to be in the center of the world and making history,” he said.

Tonight he shares in the promotion’s history-making event. He also hopes to stake his claim for a fight with Bisping.

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.