MMA star Yoel Romero accuses Jake Paul of ‘not wanting to fight a real fighter’
Former UFC middleweight Romero claims he was close to sealing a bout with the YouTuber
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.MMA fighter Yoel Romero has accused YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul of “not wanting a real fight”.
The 24-year-old American is 4-0 as a professional, with his most recent victory coming via split decision as he defeated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley last month.
But Romero, who has made the move from the UFC to fellow MMA organisation Bellator, is not impressed with Paul’s resume and claims the young fighter pulled out of a clash against him.
Romero’s translator, sat next to the Cuban, told The MMA Hour: “What happened was, initially Jake Paul wanted to do a fight with Yoel, but then when Yoel wanted to do it, the Paul team cancelled the fight.
“Initially they wanted to do the fight with Yoel. That was when he was just getting out of the UFC, he had not signed with Bellator yet, and they said eventually no they don’t want Yoel… They decided to go with Ben Askren.
“They don’t want to face a real fighter. [Jake and brother Logan Paul] are just trying to make it a show and they don’t want to ruin their show.
“They’re finding the easy fights. Even though [Logan] fought [Floyd] Mayweather, but the thing is, there’s a huge weight difference.”
Romero has lost his last three professional fights via decision, against Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The 44-year-old wrestler, who won gold at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, holds a record of 13 wins and five defeats.
Meanwhile, Paul’s victories prior to the Woodley win came against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, basketball player Nate Robinson and ex-UFC star Askren.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments