Yoel Romero Suspended 60 Days for Leaving Octagon Following UFC 205 Win

Yoel Romero’s post-fight celebration after his victory against Chris Weidman at UFC 205 will cost him a couple of months.

Romero was suspended 60 days by the New York State Athletic Commission for leaving the Octagon before the official conclusion of the bout. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with an NYSAC official following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Romero knocked out Weidman with a flying knee 24 seconds into the third round of their middleweight clash. The American Top Team product then jumped out of the Octagon and marched around the outside of the cage before ring announcer Bruce Buffer read the official result.

Romero will be able to return to UFC competition on Jan. 12. The suspension shouldn’t do much to affect the Cuban wrestler’s contender status at 185 pounds, however. Recently, reigning champ Michael Bisping said that he’d be willing to defend his title against Romero, but not until the spring 2017.

In addition to Romero, the NYSAC has issued a six-month suspension to Kelvin Gastelum for failing to appear at weigh-ins and a three-month sanction to Thiago Alves for missing weight ahead of UFC 205. Gastelum is planning on appealing his punishment.