#4 Yoel Romero
Yoel ‘Soldier of God’ Romero (13-1) is a former World Champion and Olympic Silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. He was born in Cuba and now resides in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. Romero is best known for his fights in the UFC and Strikeforce.
He is known for his excellent wrestling skills that he has perfectly transitioned to the cage alongside his scary one-punch KO power. Romero possesses the rare ability of being able to score one-strike KOs with his punches, kicks, knees as well as elbows.
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Romero made his pro-MMA debut fairly late in his athletic career, at 31. However, he has managed to accomplish much more than most other MMA fighters could ever dream of, in his fairly brief career.
Romero’s ground-and-pound skills are the deadliest in the game, as evidenced by his high-profile UFC fight against former UFC Light-Heavyweight (LHW/205 pound) champion Lyoto Machida.
Romero scored a trip-takedown on Machida, secured top position on the mat and knocked Machida out cold with a series of brutal ground-and-pound elbows. All of this was done at a lightning fast speed.
In his UFC debut, Romero knocked out Clifford Starks with a flying knee and follow-up punches. In his most recent fight against former UFC Middleweight (MW/185 pound) champion Chris Weidman, after a close first round, Romero out-grappled the ‘All-American’, rag-dolling Weidman all over the Octagon.
Furthermore, in the third and final round, Romero caught Weidman with a perfectly timed flying knee, knocking him out and leaving him in a pool of his own blood. Weidman was dazed for several minutes after the fight and was bleeding profusely from Romero’s powerful and precise flying-knee.
Romero is considered to be one of the best athletic specimens to ever compete in the sport of MMA. Considering the fact that MMA is a sport that is filled with athletic specimens such as Demetrius Johnson, Stipe Miocic, Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos and several others.
Romero’s fame as being the UFC’s best athlete is a huge accomplishment for the Cuban KO-artist. Romero’s cat-like reflexes and scary finishing power lands him the 4th spot on our list.