Yoel Romero

Yoel Romero: biography

Yoel Romero, a famous mixed martial artist, is performing in the UFC. For his strength and desire to constantly develop his skills made him one of the best fighters of today. Let’s know about his career through reading the article!

Childhood and youth

Yoel Romero has been involved in the world of sports from the very infancy – his parents and other relatives were professional fighters. Although no one of them succeeded to gain international titles, Yoel advanced to the high level and was recognized worldwide later.

So, following his parents’ footsteps, he began doing wrestling as a kid. Yoel was brought up with a brother – together, the boys took part in various tournaments. Remarkably, his brother named Pablo Hernandez is currently one of the most famous boxers worldwide.

Being a teenager, Yoel spent the majority of his free time practicing in the gym, developing his athleticism and fighting with his dad or brother. Such a faithful dedication to the sport guaranteed Yoel the place in the Cuban National team.

Interestingly, Romero also thought about building a career in baseball but changed his mind after understanding wrestling was the passion of his life.

Wrestling career

In 2000 the sportsman appeared with the national team in the Olympic Games. He brought his squad a silver medal and was named one of the most precious players. Two years later, the Cuban squad advanced only to the 4th place. Besides, Yoel Romero was seen performing at the FILA world championship. Remarkably, the event is thought to be the most significant wrestling tournament behind the Olympic games. So, participating in the championship, he conquered titles of a winner several times. In 1999 he was named the World Championship.

In 2003 Yoel Romero fought for the Pan American Games Title and succeeded to defeat opposers. Three years later, the sportsman was punished by a suspension by the Wrestling Federation in Cuba after being accused of throwing a World Championship fight.

As a result, he left for Germany. In 2007 he was invited to return to the Wrestling Federation but denied and decided to stay in Germany. There he began working as a wrestling coach. Having become fed up with training other athletes, Romero intended to enter Mixed Martial Arts.

Mixed Martial Arts career

He started preparing under the guidance of Sergej Kuftin. 2009 was marked the beginning of Romero’s MMA professional career. He had to fight against Sascha Weinpolter and succeeded to beat him. So, he entered the world of MMA making a brilliant victory.

In the following three years of performing, Yoel Romero’s record was a 5-0 match.

While fighting in June 2011, the fighter suffered a neck injury and was ruled out of matches for several weeks. Having returned, Romero advanced to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Sportsman’s first UFC match was held in April 2013 – he fought against Clifford Starks. Yoel Romero became the winner of that fight – his sensational knockout brought him the title Knockout of the Night.

The next match, Romero faced and beat Derek Brunson – he used his brilliant technique of knocking opposers out and won the latter. Several weeks later, Romero’s fans supported him in the match against Brad Tavares – the judges named him a winner unanimously.

The next fight (which is also named one of the best Romero’s fights) was a really nervous one cause Yoel Romero faced Tim Kennedy. Both the sportsmen were very experienced and strong – that’s why the atmosphere of the match could be named hot. Originally, Romero got severely injured and received some time for recovering. This measure evoked fans’ controversial reaction. Dana White also criticized judges for this decision. Having returned to the ring, Romero defeated Kennedy and became a winner of that match. Remarkably, Kennedy was beaten for the first time in 14 years.

In summer 2015, Romero performed against Lyoto Machida and earned one more title of a winner.

The following year, the sportsman had to undergo a drug test which he failed. The investigations showed Romero had used a banned substance. As a result, Romero was ruled out for a half a year. So, he appeared on the ring again only in December 2016. Having faced Chris Weidman, Yoel defeated him. However, Romero was beaten by Michael Bisping in the fight held in June 2017. Besides, he fought against Robert Whittaker that year.

Yoel Romero’s net worth is evaluated at $2 million.

Personal life

The sportsman is a very religious person. He was brought up according to Christian canons. In an interview, Romero once shared he believed God had helped him in everything in his life.

In 2015 the fighter made a controversial statement about LGBT society. Social media was exploded by peoples’ comments on his intolerance. As a result, Romero had to apologize in public.

Romero is married to a woman whose name is unknown – the sportsman prefers to keep his private life in secret. Moreover, he is a father of a daughter. The family resides in Miami, as for today.

Championships and accomplishments

Romero’s earnings he has received in his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career include the following titles:

• Knockout of the Night
• Performance of the Night
• Fight of the Night