"Omg no Shogun is going to DIE" - Fan concerned as Mauricio Rua vs. Yoel Romero is officially announced by GFL

GFL is gearing up for its inaugural season and has announced an exciting showdown between former UFC stars. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, a former Pride middleweight grand-prix champion and UFC light heavyweight champion, is set to face off against Yoel Romero, a former multi-time UFC and Bellator MMA title contender.

The light heavyweight clash was officially announced on GFL's X account. In the promotion's team-based format, Romero will represent Team Miami, while Rua will fight for Team Sao Paulo.

Although GFL is expected to begin in April, the exact venue and date for the event have yet to be confirmed.

X users have expressed their opinions about the Romero-Rua matchup, with some in the MMA community worried about the Brazilian legend's chances in this bout.

@JimmyJangus7 posted:

"Omg no Shogun is going to DIE"

@Sports_Alien_OG wrote:

"Bro Yoel is gonna DESTROY Shogun"

@Taymma000 quipped:

"Poor shogun man"

[Images Courtesy: @mmagfl tweet thread on X]

Check out the GFL bout announcement that kicked off this discourse below:

---

GFL also announces sequel to past UFC middleweight title bout

The Global Fight League didn't just announce Yoel Romero versus Mauricio Rua; they also revealed they would be booking a rematch that ties back to UFC 194. Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold are set to face each other once again in a middleweight clash under the GFL banner, nearly a decade after their first encounter.

In Dec. 2015, Weidman entered the octagon as the reigning UFC middleweight champion to defend his title against Luke Rockhold, a former Strikeforce champion at 185 pounds.

Their fight was the co-main event, leading up to the featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Rockhold emerged victorious, finishing Weidman with strikes in the fourth round to cement himself as the new UFC middleweight champion.

The UFC planned an immediate rematch, but an injury to Weidman thwarted those efforts for UFC 199. Michael Bisping replaced Weidman and famously finished Rockhold with strikes to claim the strap in the summer 2016 card.

With Weidman representing Team New York and Rockhold on Team Los Angeles, it is unclear whether their rematch will be on the same card as Romero vs. Rua or on a different event entirely.