A Russian sports outlet compiled a ranked list of the 10 worst title fights in UFC history, polling 10 MMA journalists. The contributor's pick was Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero from 2020, which placed third overall. The bout was characterized by extreme caution from both fighters, with Romero standing in the center while Adesanya threw low kicks from distance. The fight produced zero takedowns and minimal striking output, with the first round recording just 48-40 total strikes and 0-1 significant head strikes. Both an elite striker and Olympic wrestling medalist were unable to engage, resulting in 25 minutes of tactical stalemate.
A Russian sports outlet has placed Israel Adesanya's middleweight title defense against Yoel Romero third on a ranked list of the ten worst UFC championship bouts in history, with the ranking compiled through a poll of ten MMA journalists.
Adesanya, now 36, holds a professional record of 24-6 and currently sits eighth in the UFC middleweight division. The Nigerian-born City Kickboxing product stands six-foot-four with an 80-inch reach and averages 4.03 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy — numbers that made his passivity in that 2020 title fight all the more striking by contrast.
Romero, a Cuban-born fighter representing the United States and training out of American Top Team, carries a record of 13-5. The 49-year-old southpaw stands six feet tall with a 73-inch reach and averages 1.57 takedowns per 15 minutes — a credential rooted in his background as an Olympic wrestling medalist that also went largely unused across 25 minutes in Las Vegas.
The bout has long been cited as one of the most cautious in UFC title fight history. Romero spent much of the contest planted near the center of the Octagon while Adesanya worked low kicks from the outside. The opening round produced just 48 total strikes landed between both fighters combined, and the pair combined for a single significant head strike in that frame. No takedowns were recorded across the entire fight.
Why it matters
- The placement at third on a credentialed journalist poll cements the bout's reputation as among the least action-filled title fights the promotion has staged.
- Adesanya, ranked eighth at middleweight, and Romero, whose career has wound down since, both brought elite offensive tools that went largely dormant.
- The result remains a reference point in broader conversations about fighter incentives and championship bout scoring criteria.
