Roberto Romero might’ve taken a loss Saturday at UFC 309, but many were still impressed with what they saw from the newcomer.
Romero debuted for the UFC against veteran David Onama on the preliminary card of UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight he took the Tuesday before the event with basically no preparation, as he replaced Lucas Almeida.
Little chance was given to Romero (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) as Onama entered as a -1000 betting favorite. Yet, despite the odds, the Mexican fighter put it on Onama and nearly finished him in the first round.
“Believe me, that’s something I’ve analyzed a lot,” Romero told MMA Junkie in Spanish when asked about his decision take the back rather than finish a rocked Onama. “In fact, yesterday was the first day I was able to sleep since the fight because it ended on Saturday and all the adrenaline and mix of emotions just kept me thinking and going over things in my head. I gave it a lot of thought, and yeah, f*ck, if I would’ve kept hitting him, just taken a step back and kept hitting him. But the ‘what if’ doesn’t exist. …
“At the end of the day this is a learning experience, and yeah, analyzing it, maybe if I would’ve kept hitting him, maybe I would’ve picked up the finish. But yeah, you learn and keep moving forward.”
After a hot first start where he almost finished Onama, the veteran survived and went on to win the rest of the fight, but with stiff resistance from Romero.
Romero admits the defeat stung, and he was disappointed he couldn’t get his hand raised in the octagon. But after getting embraced by the fan base and his family, Romero can say he’s proud of what he was able to display that night in New York City.
“Honestly, I’m very happy,” Romero said. “I did go in there to win. I didn’t go in there with a mediocre mentality like, ‘Oh, let’s just see what happens.’ No, I went to win. I studied him as much as I could in the few days I had, and I tried to make the most of this opportunity. I was 100 percent focused, and I gave it my all in that cage. I went there to win, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. There’s just so much you can control and is not like Onama is a walk in the park. He’s a lion, who was coming in there to win as well. We both left it all in there.
“I admit I was a little sad and disappointed din myself because I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but after hearing mu coaches and seeing people’s messages, and from my family and wife, they all lifted me and I feel very thankful. It’s not the result I wanted, but I don’t think my performance was too bad.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
