It was a rough night for the challengers at UFC 248. Neither Yoel Romero nor Joanna Jedrzejczyk were able to capture UFC gold Saturday, and sustained harm in the process.
For Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), it was more of a repetitional harm. His underwhelming performance in a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the middleweight title headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas caused many fans to turn on him, and at 42, it may very well have been his final opportunity to fight for a major championship.
For Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), it was physical harm. Her face was almost unrecognizable after going through a five-round battle with [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), and although some believed she deserved to get her hand raised, she ultimately suffered the split decision defeat and came up short of reclaiming the strawweight belt.
So what happens to them both from here? A matchup between Romero and [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) has a nice storyline to it, and could easily serve as a main event. The same can be said for a pairing between Jedrzejczyk and undefeated contender [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC).
Watch the video above to see why those should be the fights to make for Romero and Jedrzejczyk coming out of their title-fight losses at UFC 248.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 248, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.
What mattered most at UFC 248 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Israel Adesanya not to blame
One of the primary storylines coming out of the main event between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] is who is more to blame for the underwhelming headliner, which ultimately saw Adesanya retain his middleweight title by unanimous decision.
For me, it has to be Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), the challenger. Although I don’t agree with the whole “To be the champ, you have to beat the champ” cliche, there’s an aspect of truth to it. Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) came into the fight as the champion, and whether it’s a spectacular win, a boring win or a draw, he keeps the belt. Of course we wish every champion would put on scintillating performances, but as Adesanya said post fight, he’s the one with everything to lose in this scenario, from his title to sponsorships to the money that comes with holding down the throne.
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Did Adesanya frustrate some fans? Sure. Did he lose some? Possibly. But it reminds me in a way of Georges St-Pierre in his prime. He had many title defenses in which fans left displeased with him, but he still remained one of the most popular figures in the sport, and for the most part people came back for the next one.
You can bet that will happen here for Adesanya’s next title defense against Paulo Costa later this year.
Yoel Romero wasn’t happy with Israel Adesanya’s UFC 248 performance, criticizing the champion for running during the fight.
LAS VEGAS – Following the UFC 248 main event on Sunday, there was a lot of finger-pointing going around.
After the event, UFC president Dana White and middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] blamed challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] for the lack of action. However, Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) had a different take on the situation. He said Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was to blame. Romero said he came looking for a war, but instead found a track meet.
“Simply, I expected a war today,” Romero said at a post-fight news conference. “I came to have a war and put on a show for the fans and that didn’t happen, so that’s how I feel right now. … I came here to fight, not to run. That’s what he did – run and run. I expected a worthy opponent, but I had a runner in front of me. He kicked me. I kicked him. I made a takedown. He didn’t event attempt one – not even one. I made a few. He didn’t hit me in the face. I hit him in the face.”
Sticking with the theme of running, Romero joked he should have known Adesanya’s gameplan was to run because the champion is of African descent. After a slight refusal, Romero’s translator relayed the message after some prodding from Romero.
“I ran into a great runner,” Romero said. “We need to remember that he has African descendants and Africans are very good runners.”
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Romero also called Adesanya’s performance disrespectful. In Romero’s eyes, Adesanaya is not worthy of the Anderson Silva comparison often bestowed upon him.
“I think it’s a disrespect – he’s supposed to be this great champion in the UFC,” Romero said. “I think it’s a huge disrespect to compare him with Anderson Silva. Anderson Silva when he was 30 years old, he would make all of us stand up from our seats. I think it’s a huge disrespect, what Israel did (Saturday) to the fans and the UFC. People pay for the pay-per-view. They work really hard to pay for the pay-per-view to see how two warriors give it their all, and Adesanya didn’t respect that today.”
UFC 248 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 248, which saw Israel Adesanya beat Yoel Romero in the main event.
The UFC returned to Las Vegas for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC 248, which took place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Two title fights sat atop the card, and neither champion was unseated. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) kept ahold of his middleweight strap with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the main event, while [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) managed retain her strawweight title by edging out [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a split decision.
For more on the numbers to come out of the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts from UFC 248.
Betting favorites improved to 5-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 2:16:14.
Main card
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is third longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28) and Zhang (21).
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is the longest among active UFC middleweights.
Adesanya’s eight-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Romero’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Romero fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2017.
Romero has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.
Zhang Weili
Weili extended her winning streak to 21 fights. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since her MMA debut in November 2013.
Weili’s 21-fight winning streak is the second longest among all fighters on the UFC roster behind Nurmagomedov (28).
Weili’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is with Tatiana Suarez and Yan Xiaonan for the longest active streak in the division.
Weili and Jedrzejczyk combined for 351 significant strikes landed, the third most in UFC title-fight history. Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega hold the record with 400 total at UFC 231.
Jedrzejczyk fell to 2-4 in her past six fights dating back to when she lost the UFC strawweight title in November 2017.
Jedrzejczyk is one of two fighters UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in eight separate fights. Max Holloway also accomplished the feat.
Jedrzejczyk has suffered three of her four career losses by decision.
Dariush’s (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) 12 UFC lightweight victories since 2014 are the most in the division.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Neil Magny
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Magny’s 15 victories since 2013 in UFC competition are second most among active fighters in the company behind Donald Cerrone (17).
Magny has earned nine of his 15 UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) improved to 8-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to July 2018.
Griffin has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Sean O’Malley
O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned eight of 11 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his middleweight debut.
Safarov has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 carer victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 6-0.
Winn suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by (split) decision.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Israel Adesanya isn’t knocking himself for the lackluster main event at UFC 248 on Saturday – but he is knocking his opponent Yoel Romero.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] isn’t knocking himself for the lackluster main event at UFC 248 on Saturday – but he is knocking his opponent, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag].
For five rounds, Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Romero (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) engaged in a low-action fight. When the dust settled, the fans booed some more – they had been booing regularly from the first minute onward – and Adesanya retained his middleweight title by unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
At a news conference after the event, Adesanya admitted it wasn’t the kind of fight he wanted to be involved in. But he wasn’t too hard on himself considering he didn’t think he was to blame.
“It’s not the fight I wanted to have,” Adesanya said. “I had a different vision for how this fight was going to end. It takes two to tango. I can’t force a guy to fight. I can force a guy to make mistakes a little bit by exposing his legs later on. For me, if a guy stands there for the first two minutes and just has his hands up …
“Am I supposed to risk my belt and get clipped by him, which I did? I realized that’s a bad move. I went back to what I do best, which is pick people apart. That was really bizarre. I might well have used a training dummy at my gym as my sparring partner. It was just really bizarre because I was expecting more. These guys are crafty, these old guys.”
Adesanya admitted he lost respect for Romero because of the performance. The champ indicated he expected a dog fight against Romero, but instead got a lackluster staring contest.
“Yeah, it was anti-climatic. I love this (expletive), man,” Adesanya said. “I love to fight. … You’ve seen my resume. I don’t have boring fights. I’ve seen people who want to fight. I called out the guy who supposedly everyone is scared of. I’m like, ‘What’s so scary about him?’ I kicked his (expletive) leg. I kicked it over and over again. It was not steel. He’s human and he acts like he’s (not). I definitely lost respect for him. I definitely lost respect for what I thought was going to be a really difficult challenge to overcome.”
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Prior to Adesanya’s appearance at the press conference, Romero took the stage to field questions from reporters. Romero said it was Adesanya’s fault the fight was boring, saying the champion was unhittable because he wasn’t fighting.
“What else is he going to say?” Adesanya said. “How else is he going to sleep at night? He lost his last chance at gold. Even in the fifth round, you attack. I’ve seen the (Kelvin) Gastelum fight reference over and over again, but that’s because I really showed out in the fifth round.
“I knew I wanted that belt. I wanted it more. Show me I wanted it more. That belt was up for grabs, and I grabbed it. Show me you want the belt. Don’t just roll up there and do the bachata and the merengue and then (say), ‘Oh, come fight boy. Come fight.”
Dana White took aim at Yoel Romero. Was the criticism fair?
The UFC 248 main event was a flop.
Fans weren’t pleased. Not even Dana White would defend the performance of his fighters. White took aim at Yoel Romero (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) after losing to Israel Adesanya (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC). The crowd booed loudly through the 25-minute fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s clear that both fighters were at fault in delivering the dud. Still, White called out Romero, in particular. Here’s what White said, via MMA Junkie:
“I do (think it was Romero’s fault),” White said. “He literally went out and stood in the middle of the … when the bell rang in the first round, just stood there with his hands up. You know what I mean? You’re going in and facing the world champion. This is your last shot at a championship. You shouldn’t even be here getting this title fight. It should be Paulo Costa. If he didn’t get hurt, you don’t even get this opportunity. You go in, and you do everything you can to win that fight. He literally did none of that.”
Romero landed 40 of his 89 strikes (45% success rate), per UFC’s official stats. Adesanya, meanwhile, landed just 48 of his 132 strikes for a weak 36% success rate. The top fight for the women, meanwhile, featured 783 strikes with the fighters landing 363. It was a vastly different fight, which landed Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the hospital.
Romero was self-critical after the fight, as he admitted viewers paid for a fight, “not this.” And perhaps it’s good that he’s willing to acknowledge the shortcomings of the fight, because White had a strong message for Romero.
“A path back to the title after that performance?” White said. “You’re crazy even asking that question right now. He looked terrible tonight. He literally gave up an opportunity tonight. Maybe he comes back in his next fight and looks like Yoel Romero. But if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect him to fight another 10 years looking like that.””
Romero went into the fight hoping to challenge the middleweight title, and he left the ring in jeopardy of losing all favor with White.
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for the winning fighters at UFC 248 in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for the winning fighters at UFC 248 in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for the losing fighters at UFC 248 in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for the losing fighters at UFC 248 in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
Neil Magny and Israel Adesanya both made clear their intentions when they name-dropped their preferred next opponents following victories at UFC 248.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the lone main card callout …
Neil Magny
Wants to fight: [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]
The callout: “I’m wasting no time. Michael Chiesa is the guy I’m looking to fight next, and I’m looking to do it as soon as possible. No need to wait until the summertime – I know you’re healthy. Let’s get out here and do it, give these fans the show they want, and let me bring the work.”
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The reality: Perhaps the unlikeliest candidate to appear in “Callout Collection,” [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] has personified the “fight whoever’s next” mentality throughout his UFC career. But, after being forced onto the sidelines in recent months, he knows he needs a solid win over a big name to get back to contendership at 170 pounds once again, and Chiesa might be the ideal man for the job. However, while the fight certainly makes sense for Magny, the upside isn’t quite as clear for Chiesa, who is on a tear following his jump from lightweight to welterweight. Following back-to-back wins over ex-interim champ Carlos Condit, “TUF 1” winner Diego Sanchez and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, “Maverick” has called for a fight with Colby Covington. With all due respect to Magny, that’s a fight that gives Chiesa a lot more to gain.
Paulo Costa did not hold back his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s performance against Yoel Romero.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] was not impressed with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s title defense at UFC 248 and promises to unseat the middleweight champion when they fight later this year.
Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was supposed to meet Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner, but an injury prevented him from making the date, giving Yoel Romero the opportunity instead. It turned out to be a lackluster fight, with the champion defending by unanimous decision in a bout that received plenty of criticism.
Following the event, which took place at T-Mobile Arena, Costa showed up at the post-fight news conference to express a thorough disgust for what he’d just witnessed.
“Horrible fight,” Costa told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “I was ashamed to watch that fight. Adesanya is nothing. Adesanya is the most shameful champion I have ever seen. He just runs. He’s nothing. He’s scared. I think he don’t deserve to talk about him, but he was (expletive). That fight was (expletive).”
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Although Dana White’s thoughts were in line with Costa by calling it a “horrible fight,” the UFC president put the onus on Romero for his lack of aggression and output as the challenger. Costa disagreed, though, and thought Romero potentially did enough to win by holding the center of the octagon more over the course of 25 minutes.
Nevertheless, Adesanya retained the strap, and now a matchup between the two undefeated middleweights will be next. Costa said he’d like to see the fight happen during International Fight Week in July, and White said that’s certainly a possibility.
If and when they do compete, though, Costa said he’s not going to allow the fight to unfold in a similar fashion to what happened at UFC 248.
“I will make him cry,” Costa said. “I will hit him very badly, and he will cry like a baby. I will slap his face in my fight against him. That’s it. He’s shameful.”
