UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold is mired in a cloud of uncertainty, as top UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero was well off the mark at Friday’s weigh-in, which took place in Perth, Australia.
Romero is supposed to square off with Luke Rockhold for the interim UFC middleweight title in the UFC 221 main event on Saturday, but he weighed 188.3 pounds for the bout. That’s 3.3 pounds above the limit for a championship fight. Rockhold easily hit the mark at 184.9 pounds.
Having blown past the limit, Romero was given two hours two make weight.
“I’m a professional. I play this game right, in every sense of the word, I am a f—ing professional,” an irate Rockhold stated after stepping off the scale.
Romero had little to say, as he stormed off to find a sauna.
“No excuses, I am here for fight,” said Romero. “Right now, I go to the sauna.”
The UFC 221 fight card was initially slated to feature middleweight champion Robert Whittaker defending his belt against Rockhold, but he had to withdraw due to a combination of injury and illness.
The UFC 221 co-main event features local favorite Mark Hunt. At 43 years of age, Hunt has made much of the fact that he is one of the oldest, but still one of the best, fighters in the world. He faces rising talent Curtis Blaydes, who, at 26, is nearly half Hunt’s age. They’re both known for throwing bombs, so it’s likely going to come down to whomever lands first.
Flyweight contender Jussier Formiga was slightly off the mark, although he was much closer to making weight than Romero. He stepped on the scale at 126.15 pounds for his flyweight bout. He was also given two hours to get down to 126 pounds or less.
UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold Weigh-in Results
- Yoel Romero (188.3) vs. Luke Rockhold (185)
- Mark Hunt (264.75) vs. Curtis Blaydes (255.5)
- Tai Tuivasa (263.5) vs. Cyril Asker (243.5)
- Jake Matthews (170.5) vs. Li Jingliang (170)
- Tyson Pedro (205) vs. Saparbek Safarov (204.5)
- Damien Brown (156) vs. ”Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim (156)
- Rob Wilkinson (186) vs. Israel Adesanya (183)
- Alex Volkanovski (145.5) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (145)
- Jussier Formiga (126.15) vs. Ben Nguyen (125.5)
- Ross Pearson (156) vs. Mizuto Hirota (156)
- Teruto Ishihara (135.5) vs. Jose Quinonez (135)
- Luke Jumeau (170.5) vs. Daichi Abe (170.5)
UFC 221 Full Live Results
Tune in Saturday, Feb. 10 (North America), for UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold Full Results and Live Fight Stats from Perth, Australia, where Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold battle for the interim UFC middleweight championship. The UFC 221 co-main event features Mark Hunt squaring off with fellow Top 10 ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes.
