If Yoel Romero wants his title shot, he's going to have to wait.
"The Soldier of God" has already done more than enough to earn a crack at Michael Bisping's middleweight crown.
He's got the longest active win-streak in the division with eight, he's defeated three former world champions in his last three bouts and after beating Chris Weidman in his last trip to the Octagon, he cut the perfect promo for a grudge match against "the Count".
After annihilating the former king of the division with a devastating flying knee to the dome, he jumped out of the Octagon, performed his soldier walk celebration and grabbed hold of the mic to have a memorable exchange with Bisping, who was in the crowd.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/797751613062402048
That incident happened nearly three months ago at UFC 205. As much as time is of the essence for 37-year-old Bisping, this is even more the case for Romero, who is looking for his first crack at the belt at the ripe old age of 39.
Although it is arguable that neither fighter has ever looked better than they did in 2016, time waits for no man and both will be well aware they don't have a whole lot of time left at the zenith of the sport. However, Bisping has a full two years on the Cuban, and taking five months off for surgery to "clean up" a "slightly torn" meniscus will only mean that he;s guaranteed to hold onto that coveted golden strap longer.
Not that Romero minds too much though. He seems to be more than happy taking the Demian Maia approach of waiting for his title fight. He admitted on social media that staying on the sidelines will only make his appetite for that belt grow.
https://twitter.com/YoelRomeroMMA/status/822292164516478977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Of course, he couldn't let the opportunity pass without scoring some points on the legendary fighter. He dug out an old Instagram photo of Bisping which he wondered was photographic evidence of the moment he hurt his knee... complete with three laughing faces and a chicken emoji for good measure.
https://twitter.com/YoelRomeroMMA/status/822148546665259009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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