Sean Pierson says Yoel Romero is not a bigger cheater than most fighters.
On his weekly appearance on FightfulMMA's podcast with host "Showdown Joe" Ferraro, Sean Pierson discussed the reputation of Romero. The Cuban middleweight Romero has been the center of controversy a few times in his career, but perhaps most notable for staying on his stool too long between rounds in a fight with Tim Kennedy and for failing a USADA drug-test then having his suspension reduced because of a tainted supplement defense. Pierson said Romero gets a bad rap despite the record.
"A lot of people put hate on Yoel Romero, call him a cheat, this and that. I don't want to pull out a race card here, because I don't think it's racism but other guys do the same stuff or similar stuff but they don't get criticized as much. I don't know why, rules are rules and he utilizes the rules to his advantage. To me, the fact he stayed on his stool a little bit longer, referee's fault, and if you look at the video, I believe Tim Kennedy was holding his glove so he's a cheat too. But at the end of the day, we're all just trying to compete here. Him getting an extra ten seconds there was 'ok cool' but Where's Tim Kennedy's? (Romero) deserved another five minutes there, it's like a kick in the balls, you held my glove and punched me in the face so I couldn't get away," said Pierson.
Pierson would also discuss Romero's USADA violations and said he would not be surprised if he had a serious violation in the future, noting that Romero might have "penile dysfunction or something," but alluded he is not the only fighter using banned substances. He and Ferraro discuss current events in mixed-martial-arts each week on the podcast. This week they also discussed Brock Lesnar's retirement from UFC, Georges St-Pierre's return, and UFC's Halifax card on Sunday.
Pierson appears on Wednesday episodes of FightfulMMA's podcast which streams live.
