UFC Fight Night 70's original lineup has gone through massive alteration as 12 fighters were pulled from the card due to visa issues for the foreign athletes who were scheduled to compete.
UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero a.k.a. UFC Fight Night 70 is slated to go down Saturday, June 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Headlined by Yoel Romero (9-1) and Lyoto Machida (22-6), the card has undergone huge changes citing a problem in the visa system. Thus, fighters including Rani Yahya, Erick Silva and The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 finalists were unable to compete here, so they joined other cards, Bleacher Report noted.
Though the card may be lacking in star power, there are some very exciting matchups such as Thiago Santos vs. Steve Bosse and Lorenz Larkin vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio which guarantees some fireworks.
UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero will be making his first appearance of 2015 on Saturday after two false starts. Romero is scheduled to meet former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night.
Romero was slated to fight Ronaldo Souza twice this year; however both times the bout fell through. An initial meeting in February was tossed out after Souza came down with pneumonia.
Though the fight was rescheduled for two months later, Romero withdrew again citing a knee injury, according to reports on ESPN.
Rather than giving the "Jacare" matchup a third shot, the UFC booked Romero to a five-round main event against Machida, who is coming off a submission loos to Luke Rockhold in April.
Ironically, there is a possibility that Romero could be fighting for the right to face Souza.
The UFC has already affirmed that Rockhold will receive the next middleweight title shot. In case, Romero defeats Machida, a No. 1 contender's fight against Souza (22-3) might make sense.
Romero says he is not concerned with what's next, despite the fact that a win over Machida would essentially leave him in the exact same situation he was in at the start of the year.
Romero told ESPN.com through a translator, "I'm concentrated on Lyoto, and once that's done, I'll worry about my future."
"If a fight against Jacare is what the UFC wants, I'll go ahead and fight Jacare. Whoever the UFC wants, I'll fight," Romero added.
That being said, Saturday's matchup between Machida and Romero will definitely be a fun one.
