The Film Room: Yoel Romero
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pay-per-views has changed: UFC 241 is only available on ESPN+ in the
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One of the most decorated wrestlers to ever compete in mixed martial arts will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year, as Yoel Romero takes on Paulo Henrique Costa at UFC 241 on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Romero turned 42 in April but has thus far shown no significant signs of athletic decline, and a victory over the undefeated Costa could position him for another crack at the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title.
Romero supplies the material for this installment of The Film
Room.
Oddly, Romero does not excel at holding down opponents once he secures a takedown, so he tends to explode with ground-and-pound the second they hit the mat. Against Derek Brunson, he scored a brutal technical knockout with punches and elbows to the ribs. While we have not seen much of his wrestling due to his preference for beating people on the feet, this fight could play out differently. The ultra-aggressive Costa looks for the knockout from Minute 1 to Minute 15. Romero has not had to deal with that kind of striker before, so we might see him rely on his grappling in this one.
You would not expect an all-time great wrestler to be knocking out people on the feet, but it has become standard practice for Romero. Due to his explosive power and creativity, Romero tends to be viewed as a less-than-technical fighter. That could not be further from the truth. Usually, when fighters are as brilliant in one area as Romero is in wrestling, they lack in other important aspects of MMA, like striking. Romero has shucked off the stereotype of a single-disciplined fighter to become an increasingly intelligent striker. If you watch enough Luke Rockhold tape, you quickly find that he always looks for the check hook off of an opponent’s jab. Romero clearly worked on this in training, doubled up on the jab and landed an overhand left as Rockhold attempted to check the second jab. Romero then followed up with one of the most brutal bursts of ground strikes in recent memory.
Further proof of Romero’s striking intelligence: low-line kicks to set up his left hand. The low-line kick to rear straight punch is an old Jeet Kune Do technique about which Bruce Lee wrote extensively. He called it the longest weapon to the nearest target, and that still holds true today. Still, it is not used enough in MMA. Not only does it distract your opponents from your hands, but it allows you to take an outside angle to set up the rear straight. After Romero throws the kick, he steps outside of his opponent’s guard to create a dominant angle for the left straight. This is a brilliant maneuver to set up your strikes and one upon which fighters like Romero and Max Holloway have built their careers.
If Romero’s two best attributes are his power and explosion, then creativity runs a close third. From devastating flying knees to hammerfists to the thighs, he always uses a wide variety of techniques to overwhelm opponents. Romero is famous for his flying knees, especially against wrestlers who are looking to shoot at his hips, ala Chris Weidman. Few opponents are willing to test Romero on the ground, and those who have attempted to do so were met with jumping knees. Despite his technical prowess on the feet and on the ground, his creativity is arguably the intangible that sets him apart from the rest of the division.
One of the most decorated wrestlers to ever compete in mixed martial arts will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year, as Yoel Romero takes on Paulo Henrique Costa at UFC 241 on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Romero turned 42 in April but has thus far shown no significant signs of athletic decline, and a victory over the undefeated Costa could position him for another crack at the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title.
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Romero has won various medals in international wrestling
competition and holds the distinction as one of the few men ever to
defeat the great Cael Sanderson. Even at an advanced age, his
incredible strength and explosion make him one of the scariest
athletes in mixed martial arts. However, since he transitioned to
MMA, Romero has rarely relied on his elite wrestling skills.
Perhaps wanting to prove himself as a well-rounded martial artist,
Romero has chosen to strike with most of his opponents and only
calls upon his wrestling when he fails to get the job done on the
feet. Like most high-level wrestlers in MMA, Romero uses the threat
of his grappling to his advantage in the standup department.
Opponents are hesitant to move forward with strikes for fear of
being taken down. If Romero proves to be the superior fighter on
the feet, he can make his opponents pay for overextended strikes
with takedown attempts, even if he cannot hold them down. This
oftentimes makes them wary of coming in with strikes, resulting in
their becoming easier targets.
Oddly, Romero does not excel at holding down opponents once he secures a takedown, so he tends to explode with ground-and-pound the second they hit the mat. Against Derek Brunson, he scored a brutal technical knockout with punches and elbows to the ribs. While we have not seen much of his wrestling due to his preference for beating people on the feet, this fight could play out differently. The ultra-aggressive Costa looks for the knockout from Minute 1 to Minute 15. Romero has not had to deal with that kind of striker before, so we might see him rely on his grappling in this one.
You would not expect an all-time great wrestler to be knocking out people on the feet, but it has become standard practice for Romero. Due to his explosive power and creativity, Romero tends to be viewed as a less-than-technical fighter. That could not be further from the truth. Usually, when fighters are as brilliant in one area as Romero is in wrestling, they lack in other important aspects of MMA, like striking. Romero has shucked off the stereotype of a single-disciplined fighter to become an increasingly intelligent striker. If you watch enough Luke Rockhold tape, you quickly find that he always looks for the check hook off of an opponent’s jab. Romero clearly worked on this in training, doubled up on the jab and landed an overhand left as Rockhold attempted to check the second jab. Romero then followed up with one of the most brutal bursts of ground strikes in recent memory.
Further proof of Romero’s striking intelligence: low-line kicks to set up his left hand. The low-line kick to rear straight punch is an old Jeet Kune Do technique about which Bruce Lee wrote extensively. He called it the longest weapon to the nearest target, and that still holds true today. Still, it is not used enough in MMA. Not only does it distract your opponents from your hands, but it allows you to take an outside angle to set up the rear straight. After Romero throws the kick, he steps outside of his opponent’s guard to create a dominant angle for the left straight. This is a brilliant maneuver to set up your strikes and one upon which fighters like Romero and Max Holloway have built their careers.
If Romero’s two best attributes are his power and explosion, then creativity runs a close third. From devastating flying knees to hammerfists to the thighs, he always uses a wide variety of techniques to overwhelm opponents. Romero is famous for his flying knees, especially against wrestlers who are looking to shoot at his hips, ala Chris Weidman. Few opponents are willing to test Romero on the ground, and those who have attempted to do so were met with jumping knees. Despite his technical prowess on the feet and on the ground, his creativity is arguably the intangible that sets him apart from the rest of the division.
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