Former UFC middleweight title contender appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show and said he is not fighting Paulo Costa at UFC 230 on November 3 at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. Romero reports he had surgery for a broken eye orbital suffered in Round 1 vs. Robert Whittaker at UFC 225 on June 9 in Chicago, Illinois, and need much more time to recover.

Romero recently signed an eight-fight contract with the UFC, so he will definitely be entering the Octagon, and possibly vs. Costa, but not immediately. ‘Soldier of God’ also missed the middleweight limit twice in his past two fights, but does not intend to move up.

“Maybe four or five months,” said Romero, as transcribed by Greg Rosenstein for ESPN. “The doctor said, ‘Yoel needs more time.’ You know me. If you give me somebody, I take it. But you need to be smart. When the doctor says, ‘You’re ready,’ you can go. I’m waiting.”

“I talked with the UFC and said I’m not going to go up [a weight division]. Maybe in the future. People need to see the belt on my body. When I take the belt, maybe I’ll go up and fight a superfight [against another champion].”

“My eye is not ready. I want to fight, but it is what it is. The doctor said, ‘Yoel cannot fight.’ I want to fight on this card, this show. Anytime you have an opportunity to fight at Madison Square Garden in New York, you’re making history. But I need to wait.”