Yoel Romero and Michael Bisping have engaged in a public war of words following the Cuban Olympian’s victory over Chris Weidman at last November’s UFC 205.

Romero’s victory that night looked to set up a championship bout with 185-pound title-holder Bisping — that was, until Georges St-Pierre was added to the equation. St-Pierre’s much-anticipated return after a years-long hiatus from the sport, it was announced by the UFC, was to come at middleweight and he was to receive an immediate title-shot, skipping Romero in the line.

But, with the Bisping vs. GSP bout still up in the air, Romero has turned his attention to fellow top contender Robert Whittaker. The pair will meet at UFC 213 with the interim middleweight championship on the line but, much different to Romero’s antagonism of Bisping, the Cuban appears to have a much more respectful stance when discussing Whittaker.

“He’s young, strong and hungry and those things make a fighter dangerous,” Romero said of Whittaker as quoted by sbs.com.au.

“I think that the other opponents that fought with him, I think they forgot about all that. I think that the other opponents that fought with him, I think they forgot about all that.”

In his last bout, the 26-year-old Whittaker was an underdog against the Brazilian submission expert Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza but emerged victorious after a stunning second round knockout. Romero doesn’t intend to afford Whittaker any such opportunity, though he does recognise that the young Australian is among a new breed of mixed martial arts fighters.

“In the new generation you just can’t expect wrestling, you’re not going to see just boxing. You’re not going to see anybody just dancing around like Muhammad Ali; that doesn’t exist anymore. If you look at the new generation, the dance is completely different.”