Yoel Romeros manager är trött på att Michael Bisping försöker handplocka sina motståndare.
Mellanvikten är just nu proppfull med välförtjänta titelutmanare. Någon som står ut från mängden är dock nummer 1-rankade kubanen Yoel Romero (12-1), som är obesegrad med åtta raka vinster i UFC.
Efter 39-åringens brutala knockoutvinst över Chris Weidman (13-2) är i princip hela MMA-världen överens om att han borde möta mellanviktsmästaren Michael Bisping (30-7) härnäst. Men ”The Count” har dock gjort det klart för alla att han skulle föredra en match mot den tidigare welterviktsmästaren Georges St-Pierre (25-2), som nu är tillbaka efter mer än tre års uppehåll.
”Yoel Romero deserves the next shot”
Romeros manager, Malki Kawa, gästade nyligen The Luke Thomas Show för att tala om situationen.
“The reality of it is that Dana (White) agrees and so does every single person that owns the UFC, has a piece of the UFC. From the celebrity owners to Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, every one of the employees at WME, every single person here at First Round Management, and probably the millions and millions of fans that watch the UFC agree that Yoel Romero deserves the next shot at Michael Bisping. I think the issue here is the following: Michael Bisping understands that his days are numbered when it comes to a guy like Yoel Romero. I think he understands the game very well from every opponent he’s picked,” sa han och fortsatte:
“Obviously, you’ve seen what he’s done. He fought Dan Henderson. He wanted Dan Henderson in London. It made no sense whatsoever. The UFC didn’t want to do that fight. He kind of forced their hand because obviously he has the belt.”
”He’s gonna make smart moves”
Som manager kan Kawa dock förstå varför Bisping hellre vill möta St-Pierre – och även varför ”GSP” skulle föredra att återvända mot engelsmannen framför en, enligt honom svårare, titelmatch i mot Tyron Woodley (16-3-1) i weltervikt.
“What I’ve seen from Mike is that he’s gonna call his shots and he’s gonna make smart moves, which I can’t blame him for. If you were managing Michael Bisping or you were Michael Bisping and you had your choice of waiting on a guy who’s been out for two and a half years, which might get you your largest payday, or fighting a guy who’s probably the scariest person in the UFC at this point. You’re talking about 10 fights, nine of them are knockouts? I don’t know that you’d want to fight this guy either.
“So I understand Michael Bisping but I also put this on Georges St-Pierre… Honestly, if he said, ‘I want to fight 170,’ he could easily come down and fight Tyron Woodley. But pick between Tyron Woodley and Michael Bisping. If you’re managing Michael Bisping, who do you choose and if you’re managing Georges St-Pierre, who do you choose? I think at the end of the day you stay clear of Yoel Romero and Tyron Woodley for as much as you can. And that’s the problem that we’re having right now.”
”He is absolutely ducking Yoel Romero”
Bisping har i diverse intervjuer den senaste tiden vidhållit att han kommer möta Romero om det är matchen som UFC erbjuder honom. Men Kawa står fast vid åsikten att ”The Count” försöker undvika Romero.
“I don’t care what anybody says, he is absolutely ducking Yoel Romero right now. It’s been confirmed to me by everybody at the UFC. Michael Bisping wants no part of Yoel Romero at this point. None whatsoever.
“I’m not telling you that he’s necessarily ducking him because he doesn’t want to ever fight him, I just think that right now, at this point he’s just trying to sidestep that fight, take this Georges St-Pierre fight, hope he wins, and if he wins, ‘I’ll fight Yoel Romero.’ If he doesn’t win, ‘I got my payday,’ and then Yoel can go and fight Georges.”
”All we’re looking for is that championship fight”
Vad som än händer försäkrade Kawa att de inte kommer acceptera något annat än en titelchans för Romero härnäst.
“At this point, all we’re looking for is that championship fight so it’s either Michael Bisping or bust at this point.”
Lyssna på intervjun nedan!
Vem vill du helst se Bisping försvara bältet mot härnäst – Romero eller St-Pierre?
Omslagsbild: Josh Hedges:Zuffa LLC:Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
