Roberto Romero is the lone debuting fighter at UFC 309 in New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Mexican newcomer is stepping up on short notice for the biggest fight of his life on the biggest stage possible, taking on David Onama in featherweight action. The card of course is headlined by the heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and champ Jon Jones, over a year in the making.
Roberto “El Charro Negro” Romero
Standing at five-foot-eight
Fighting at 145 lbs (Featherweight)
24-years-old
Chihuahua, Mexico
Training out of Team Oyama
A pro record of 8-3-1
3 KO/TKOs, 2 Submission
Pro comp; Angel Pacheco
How Romero will fare in the UFC
Romero is getting this shot on short notice on a big card. He started off 1-2 in his career but is 7-1-1 in his last nine fights. It’s evident he’s improved since he moved to the US and started training at Team Oyama in California. He doesn’t have any notable names on his record but has a few good wins over decent regional guys.
Romero is the epitome of a true Mexican fighter. What I view that as is a pressure fighter that’s a brawler with insane toughness, and that’s what Romero is. Romero is coming off a submission win but I don’t rate his wrestling or grappling highly at all. Defensively, his takedown defense isn’t great but he does a good job of getting back to his feet. At the same time he hasn’t fought anyone of note that’s a good wrestler or grappler.
Striking is where Roberto Romero is best but it’s not pretty. He’s so willing to fight in-tight that he will take damage to get inside his range. He does roll with punches and moves his head off the centerline but just hangs around in the pocket too much. It’s why he’s always taking damage and has been dropped a few times.
Romero has good hands throwing in volume to the head and body. He’ll dig to the body in combinations. It’s a big credit to why he gets his hand raised due to the fact the body shots drain whoever he fights. Romero also throws a heavy left kick to the body, a step-in left, and chopping leg kicks.
To beat Romero you have to just survive. Maybe his ground game can be exploited but he is beatable on the feet. Good footwork and distance control will give Romero a lot of problems. Someone with power could put a hurting on him. Ultimately, I think Romero is going to hit a wall because defensively he’s too hittable and his ground game is a gray area. At the same time, he’s going to break a lot of opponents. His constant pressure and his will is bound to be tough to break. I don’t think he ever gets close to the top 15 but he will give the fans fun fights and earn some bonuses along the way.
How he matches up with Onama
Onama is the perfect dance partner for the style of fighter Romero is. Onama is someone that’s faced a lot of adversity and came out on top. He’s someone that will stand and trade but is more defensibly responsible than Romero. I can see a path where Romero catches Onama because it’s happened before. What I do see happening is Onama landing the bigger shots and avoiding more coming his way. I feel confident Onama will land the damaging blows and will excel as the fight goes. The bet I’d recommend is the over 1.5 rounds, because both fighters are durable. I’d also suggest a money line play on Romero because anything can happen between two guys that want to go out on their shield.
