Former UFC middleweight, Yoel Romero is widely considered one of the scariest fighters in the world of MMA. Romero’s athleticism, explosiveness, and freak physique strikes fear in the heart of his opponents.
The former Olympian transitioned into MMA and certainly had an impressive career with multiple title fights in UFC. He ended his UFC journey with consecutive losses against the top middleweights such as Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, and Israel Adesanya. However, he is still one of the must-watch fighters in the world as the fans await his much anticipated Bellator debut.
It’s needless to say that Romero’s UFC career was filled with many exciting fights. But, The Soldier of God also had many controversies in his UFC career.
In the year 2016, Yoel Romero tested positive for PEDs and received a suspension of 6 months by USADA. He tested positive for Ibutamoren, which is a growth hormone.
Yoel Romero claimed that he did not take the banned substances intentionally. He also blamed the contaminated substance for the failed drug test.
USADA would go on to test Romero’s supplement( product by Gold Star Performance Products) and found out the presence of Ibutamoren.
The former UFC middleweight would then go on to sue Gold Star Performance Products with a lawsuit. In 2019, Yoel Romero won the lawsuit, which was worth $27.45 million.
However, there are still many UFC fighters and fans who believe that Yoel Romero is on steroids. The former UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping has accused Romero of taking PEDs on multiple occasions.
Yoel Romero has an unusual and close-to-superhuman physique, which can be because of using PEDs. However, it also should be noted that Romero has been competing in the world of combat sports for decades.
Yoel Romero responds to the PED accusations
He represented Cuba in the Olympics and even won a Silver medal at the biggest stage. So it’s not a surprise that he is athletic and in great shape. In fact, Romero has claimed that his Cuban genetics is the reason behind his superhuman physique.
On the JRE podcast, Romero addressed the PED accusations and said:
“After (the failed drug test) happened, I’ve thought many times to invite people to come to Cuba for about 20 days. I wanted the people (to) see because the genetics of Cubans (are off the charts). And not (just) for the athletic people, normal (people as well). You need to see (all of it) with an open mind.”
Romero further added, “Do you know how much you need to pay for the steroids? Come on, man,” Romero said. “The people don’t have (the money).”
Ahead of his Bellator Debut at Bellator 266, Yoel Romero is 44 years old and still in insane shape. He is still very athletic and has insane knock-out power. So it is not a surprise that fans believe that Romero is on steroids.
However, after the tainted supplement controversy, Romero has never tested positive for PEDs.
Discussion about this post