The Film Room: Yoel Romero
UFC 225 is now available on Amazon Prime.
Yoel Romero will get another crack at Robert Whittaker -- this time with the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title on the line -- when they meet in the UFC 225 main event on Saturday in Chicago. The 41-year-old Romero remains one of the elite athletes at 185 pounds and shows no signs of slowing down. The latest installment of The Film Room sheds light on the techniques and strategies of the 2000 Olympic silver medalist.
One of the most revered and decorated amateur wrestlers of his
generation, Romero has won various medals in international
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 makes him one of the scariest
athletes in mixed martial arts.
Surprisingly, Romero is not that great at holding down opponents once he secures a takedown, so he tends to explode with ground-and-pound the moment they hit the mat. Against Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 35, he scored a brutal technical knockout with punches and elbows on the North Carolinian, the end coming 3:23 into Round 3.
Romero also has true one-punch knockout power. Science cannot explain why some people have it and others do not, and an imposing physique has nothing to do with it. Some fighters lack Romero’s strength but nevertheless wield fight-ending strikes. Considering Romero’s wrestling pedigree, one might expect him to have his share of lay-and-pray decision victories. However, 11 of his 13 career wins have come by knockout or technical knockout, and his two decision victories were striking-based affairs.
If Romero’s two best attributes are his power and explosion, creativity runs a close third. From devastating flying knees to hammerfists to the thighs, Romero 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, like Chris Weidman. Few opponents are willing to test Romero on the ground, and those who have attempted to were met with a jumping knee.
Due to his explosive power and creativity, Romero tends to be viewed as 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 ground strikes in recent memory.
Another aspect of Romero’s striking you have to love is the low-line kick to straight left he uses in every fight. The low-line kick to rear straight is an old Hapkido technique that is starting to gain traction in MMA with fighters like Romero and Max Holloway. 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, notice how he steps outside of his opponent’s guard to create a dominant angle for the left straight.
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Yoel Romero will get another crack at Robert Whittaker -- this time with the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title on the line -- when they meet in the UFC 225 main event on Saturday in Chicago. The 41-year-old Romero remains one of the elite athletes at 185 pounds and shows no signs of slowing down. The latest installment of The Film Room sheds light on the techniques and strategies of the 2000 Olympic silver medalist.
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Although known for his wrestling, Romero rarely uses it in MMA.
Perhaps wanting to show he is 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.
Surprisingly, Romero is not that great at holding down opponents once he secures a takedown, so he tends to explode with ground-and-pound the moment they hit the mat. Against Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 35, he scored a brutal technical knockout with punches and elbows on the North Carolinian, the end coming 3:23 into Round 3.
Romero also has true one-punch knockout power. Science cannot explain why some people have it and others do not, and an imposing physique has nothing to do with it. Some fighters lack Romero’s strength but nevertheless wield fight-ending strikes. Considering Romero’s wrestling pedigree, one might expect him to have his share of lay-and-pray decision victories. However, 11 of his 13 career wins have come by knockout or technical knockout, and his two decision victories were striking-based affairs.
If Romero’s two best attributes are his power and explosion, creativity runs a close third. From devastating flying knees to hammerfists to the thighs, Romero 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, like Chris Weidman. Few opponents are willing to test Romero on the ground, and those who have attempted to were met with a jumping knee.
Due to his explosive power and creativity, Romero tends to be viewed as 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 ground strikes in recent memory.
Another aspect of Romero’s striking you have to love is the low-line kick to straight left he uses in every fight. The low-line kick to rear straight is an old Hapkido technique that is starting to gain traction in MMA with fighters like Romero and Max Holloway. 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, notice how he steps outside of his opponent’s guard to create a dominant angle for the left straight.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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