PERTH, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 11: (R-L) Yoel Romero of Cuba celebrates his knockout victory over Luke Rockhold in their interim middleweight title bout during the UFC 221 event at Perth Arena on February 11, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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UFC 225 title challenger Yoel Romero says that he told Luke Rockhold “I love you Judas” before infamous UFC 221 kiss.

Yoel Romero has only one loss in his entire UFC career, and he’s looking to avenge that defeat when he faces UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker in a rematch in June.

The middleweight title contender sat down with FanSided’s Mark Carman in Chicago (where his next bout will be held) this week to talk all things Whittaker, Conor McGregor, and that infamous Luke Rockhold kiss.

At UFC 221 Romero jumped back into the win column with a third round KO over former middleweight champion, and longtime foe, Luke Rockhold. While celebrating that victory Romero gave Rockhold a kiss which went viral in just minutes.

“I feel bad with Luke,” he said. “I kiss him and I said ‘I love you Judas.'”

Romero, who says he has a good relationship with God, sites months of trash talk from Rockhold as his motivation for the comment (which references JudasIscariot, one of the original 12 apostles who betrayed Jesus).

But he’s put that fight behind him in order to focus on his rematch with the new middleweight champion.

Whittaker defeated Romero via unanimous decision at UFC 213 where he won the interim middleweight belt. Whittaker was later promoted to undisputed champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the title.

“It don’t matter, in my mind, I don’t think I lose,” he said. “On the paper I lose.”

Romero says that he has nothing personal against Whittaker and would even call him a friend.

“Why not?” he said. “The fight is one day. He respects me, I respect him.”

He went on to say that he’ll be changing a lot of things up for this fight.

Everyone has an opinion on what should happen to former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor following his bus attack that left at least three people injured and Romero is no exception.

“I really love Conor, he knows,” Romero said. “But he do something, but when is enough? Where is the love? Where is the compassion? Now he’s the bad guy.”

Romero cites examples where McGregor’s antics have gotten him applause — like when he stole Jose Aldo’s featherweight belt or when he threw water bottles at Nate Diaz.

“When you created a monster, you need to control the monster,” he said. “And now, you need compassion for the monster.”

Romero says he does feel that McGregor should face a punishment, but not have his license revoked.

Romero has been competing in professional MMA since 2009 having appeared in Strikeforce shortly before the UFC, but despite his age, doesn’t see his career winding down anytime soon.

“I feel like a baby,” Romero said “This is a little controversy, you see I’m 41 years old you know. But I think I have many years [to] learn and you know, for my career.”

Romero says he thinks he has six or seven years left to fight, at least.

“People are going to say, ‘oh my God, he’s still here, he continued.'”

Romero will square off with Whittaker on July 9 for UFC 225 live from Chicago, IL.