Now that Michael Bisping knows who he will be defending his title against next, the real fun can start.
There was only one real opponent the UFC could give a crack at Michael Bisping next.
While few would complain about the acerbic tongued Nick Diaz going toe-to-toe in with the Count in the trash talk department, and some may have welcomed bringing Dan Henderson out of retirement for a rubber match, the logical number one contender was Yoel Romero.
The Cuban powerhouse sealed his title shot with that legitimately terrifying flying knee knockout of former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 205, but UFC president Dana White only confirmed that he was next in line on the most recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
The Count @bisping has shown his courage time and time again https://t.co/pvM1ZSqC02
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) October 9, 2016
Bisping and Romero have been talking smack about each other ever since the UFC’s New York debut, but the venom-spitting is only going to intensify now that they know they’re going to fight each other.
The Soldier of God kicked off the post-announcement trash-talk by giving his opponent a deadline to hang his gloves up for good and focus on his movie career. He even gave the Clitheroe native a time zone, to avoid any confusion.
@bisping I am a nice guy. I will give you until Friday 12pm est to announce your retirement. Like this you can stay doing movies #ynuevo
— Peoples Champ (@YoelRomeroMMA) January 31, 2017
Bisping quickly fired back by taking aim at the biggest criticism of Romero’s fighting style – his tendency to bend the rules in pursuit of the win.
He was slated for the infamous ‘stool gate’ incident against Tim Kennedy. Romero was on the cusp of being finished at the end of the second round, but was saved by the buzzer. After receiving treatment from his corner, the panting Romero took his time getting out of his stool. He remained sitting even after the buzzer had sounded for a number of seconds, before the fight continued.
Romero was also accused of cheating in his controversial split decision win against Jacare, in which he scored a pivotal takedown after blatantly grabbing the fence.
However, it was Romero’s most recent and arguably his most impressive win that Bisping has spotted something in. He posted a clip of the incident, complete with his special brand of commentary.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP9QPS3hx-T/
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