Yoel Romero released from UFC

In a rather surprising bit of news, perennial UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero has been released from his UFC contract, according to his manager Malki Kawa.

Romero, known for his unparalleled explosiveness and cartoonishly chiseled physique, was with the organization for nearly seven years, having made his UFC debut in April 2013.

He then proceeded to win eight consecutive fights before challenging for the title against Robert Whittaker twice, and once against the current champion Israel Adesanya.

While he was never crowned champion, he is considered by many to be the greatest non-champion perhaps ever to have fought in the organization, and although his 1-4 record in his past five fights seems unimpressive, all of those losses were close decision losses.

Romero is currently the #5 ranked middleweight in the UFC and challenged for the title less than a year ago. Nonetheless, the 43-year-old Cuban fighters will be continuing his career elsewhere.