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Yoel Romero will make his promotional debut under the banner of Bellator MMA at Bellator 266.
'The Soldier of God' recently appeared for weigh-ins and face-offs for the upcoming event. After the proceedings, MMA reporter Helen Yee spoke to Romero about his shift to the promotion and whether the fight week panned out as per his expectations. Yoel Romero said:
"... To be here with this big company, I don't like to be absolute, I don't like to be biased, but between the UFC and Bellator, this is, to me, one of the best companies. I feel like I am a blessed man to be in this grand house."
Clearly, Yoel Romero has taken a liking to his new environment. He last competed for the UFC back in March 2020 at UFC 248. He faced Israel Adesanya in the main event of the night for the UFC middleweight title. The fight became one of the least popular fights of the year due to the dearth of contact over the period of five rounds. Romero lost the fight via unanimous decision.
He recorded four losses in his last five UFC fights, the only win being in an interim title bout against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221. Unfortunately, Romero missed weight and was deemed ineligible to secure the interim title.
Who is Yoel Romero fighting in his Bellator debut?
Yoel Romero will face fellow UFC veteran Phil Davis in his Bellator debut. The two will headline Bellator 266.
Phil Davis has had quite the career under the Bellator banner. He went on awe-inspiring rampages inside the UFC octagon as well despite never coming hugely close to any gold.
Nonetheless, he tasted gold in Bellator MMA as he beat Liam McGeary for the light heavyweight title. He lost the belt earlier this year. The fight between Yoel Romero and Phil Davis will also take place in the light heavyweight category, one weight division higher than Romero's original division of contention.
