Yoel Romero is really working for the middleweight title shot! To end 2016, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping made his first successful title defense as he picked up a unanimous decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in England. Following the win, Yoel Romero was crowned the middleweight #1 contender after picking up a brutal 3rd round KO win over former middleweight champion Chris Weidman on the main card of UFC 205 in November.

With Romero declared the middleweight #1 contender, many were wondering when the UFC would officially announce the scrap, however Bisping revealed in a recent interview that he would be sidelined until April or May as he recovered from knee surgery, at which point he would pursue a money fight.

“I am still UFC middleweight champion of the world,” Bisping said. “I have to defend that belt, simple as that. Dana actually- Dana White, UFC president- actually contacted me and spoke about a fight recently but I’ve been having a lot of issues with my knee so I’ve got to have a knee surgery. Maybe around end of April, May something like that, I’ll take a fight.”

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“I want the biggest fight I can get,” he continued. “I don’t mind facing No. 1 contenders, but at this stage of my career I’ve fought the best guys forever. I want the biggest fight it can possibly be. By biggest, I mean the biggest money-generating fight I can possibly have. I feel I deserve that. I’ve earned that. So whether that’s Yoel Romero, then great. But if it ain’t Yoel Romero, if it’s Anderson Silva, great. I know he’s piped up again lately. If it’s GSP [Georges St-Pierre]- I don’t care who the opponent is.”

Romero fired back in two social media posts:

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/26/2017.