Author: Dan Hiergesell

Phil Davis will be the man to welcome former UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero to the Bellator MMA cage later tonight (Sat., Sept. 18, 2021) at Bellator 266 live on Showtime from inside SAP Center in San Jose, California. The two fighters will square off in a light heavyweight main event.

Romero was expected to make his Bellator debut earlier this year against Anthony Johnson, but an eye injury prevented “Soldier of God” from making the walk to the cage. Instead, it will be Davis who matches up against Romero and provides a stiff test for his debut. “Mr. Wonderful” is excited to be that guy, but a fight with Romero isn’t exactly something he saw coming.

“That’s only half of the story: you would have to explain to me COVID and what’s a coronavirus,” Davis told MMA Fighting. “Life just takes you in crazy directions, right?

“I’m excited. He’s definitely a fan favorite, a guy that I like to watch fight. He’s a fighter that was always like, ‘This is how I would approach it, this is the angle I would come with.’ So it’s cool to be able to have that opportunity.”

“This is a fight I looked forward to in the tournament and to somehow get matched with this fight outside of it [is a great consolation prize],” Davis later explained. “I appreciate every fight because it’s an opportunity to go out and showcase my athletic ability, but this is a special fight. It’s a bucket list fight for me.

Davis, who has been one of Bellator’s best fighters since his arrival back in 2015, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Bellator’s light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov this past April. It was the second time “Mr. Wonderful” lost to Nemkov inside of the Bellator cage, but this most recent fight showed that Davis offers more than just high-level grappling. Just don’t expect Davis to come out of his shell every fight.

“A lot of times people can jump from one ship to the other because they want you to fight a certain way,” Davis said. “They say, ‘He’s physically built, we expect him to fight like Yoel Romero,’ however, that’s not my style. That’s not my style, that’s Yoel’s style. It looks like I should be very explosive and knock people out as soon as I touch them. My style is much more calculating, drawn out, I grapple people and wear them out, I choke them or break off their limbs.

“It’s kind of about expectations. Life is about expectations. When you expect something and it doesn’t happen it’s like, ‘I don’t like that.’ In a lot of ways, people only expect you to grapple when your Brazilian. And I’m like, how come I can’t be that guy? Neiman Gracie is spending an entire round on his back setting up triangles and this and that, kimuras, and people are cheering the whole time. Don’t get me wrong, he’s dope. He’s dope. He’s amazing. But like I said before, it’s about expectations.”

As far as his matchup with Romero goes Davis is in a great position to win. While Romero is an accomplished wrestler with solid takedown defense and an explosive standup game he hasn’t competed since March 2020. That’s a long break for any fighter, let alone a 44-year-old veteran. It will be up to Davis to exploit that Saturday night and bring down the house in San Jose.

“Just create fireworks,” said Davis when asked about his prediction for the fight. “He’s an explosive guy and when you have that style, you live by the sword or you die by the sword.”

MMAmania.com will deliver coverage of Bellator 266 later tonight on Showtime. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.

The official fight poster has dropped for UFC 267: ‘Blachowicz vs. Teixeira’ expected to go down on Oct. 30 live on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

The main event will feature reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz defend his 205-pound crown against surging veteran and former title challenger Glover Teixeira. Blachowicz is coming off a masterful win over Israel Adesanya back in March while Glover is riding a five-fight win streak (his biggest since entering the promotion back in 2012).

In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will collide once again for the undisputed UFC bantamweight title. The two fighters first met at UFC 259 this past March. Yan ended up landing an illegal knee in the fourth round and Sterling walked away with the title after earning the DQ win. It’s a rematch that needs to happen to provide some sort of clarity at 135 pounds.

Also gracing the UFC 267 main card is undefeated sensation Khamzat Chimaev, who will return after a 13-month hiatus to take on welterweight finisher Li Jingliang. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will also be back in action when he matches up against 155-pound contender Islam Makhachev, who has won his last eight trips to the Octagon.

Check out the official UFC 267 fight poster below (courtesy of UFC) featuring all four of the aforementioned matchups:

UFC

For more UFC 267 fight card news and updates click HERE.

Anderson Silva’s move over to boxing has opened up a variety of matchups for the MMA great, including a potential clash with legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

This is according to Silva’s boxing coach, Luiz Dorea, who recently spoke to AG Fight about Silva’s next potential opponent. The former UFC middleweight champion is coming off a first-round knockout win over Tito Ortiz last weekend that set the combat community ablaze.

While some have called for Silva to fight the likes of Jake and Logan Paul his boxing coach believes “Spider” should push for a matchup with “Money.”

“We have the ‘new normal’, with the YouTuber brothers, with millions of followers, testing themselves and promoting themselves a lot. It’s a big deal. The brothers talked about him and Anderson is prepared for anyone. But I think the one fight that should happen was between Floyd Mayweather and Anderson Silva. One of the greatest boxing athletes against one of the greatest MMA in the world. Floyd faced Logan Paul, who doesn’t have that much experience in boxing, in an exhibition match. I think I could have a deal. These fights against YouTubers can happen too, because Anderson wants something that motivates him. We will have good news soon,” Dorea said.

It’s unknown at this time if Mayweather would ever be interested in fighting “Spider.” Silva certainly has the track record to warrant a matchup between combat greats, but he’s much larger than Mayweather. “Money” is coming off a boxing match against a yoked Logan Paul, but the social media star’s skills are not even close to that of Silva.

That said, money talks. If Mayweather believes a fight with Silva will generate enough revenue then it’s something he would certainly entertain. According to Dorea, a Silva vs. Mayweather boxing match would be absolutely massive and something to truly behold.

“It’s my wish and his (this fight). We have great respect for Floyd Mayweather and he is one of the greatest boxing athletes in history. He tested himself against a YouTuber heavier than him, so why not Anderson Silva? It would break all pay-per-view records. We would like to do. It has everything to do.”

What say you, fight fans? Is Silva vs. Mayweather a matchup you want to see?

Let us know in the comments below!

Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards have been lining up to fight ever since “Gamebred” dished out his three-piece and soda, but the welterweight contenders just can’t seem to agree on a bout.

Edwards, who is riding a nine-fight win streak in a crowded 170-pound division, believes his recent success inside of the Octagon should warrant a shot at current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. However, Usman is already booked to fight Colby Covington at UFC 268 this November, so either Edwards waits for his shot or fights someone else in the interim.

Masvidal, who is coming off back-to-back losses to Usman, believes now is the best time to finally settle his beef with Edwards. The two have been bickering back and forth since a backstage scuffle over two years ago. Unfortunately, “Rocky” doesn’t seem too interested in putting his win streak on the line against a guy coming off a few defeats, even if it’s a high-profile draw like Masvidal.

“My next fight will be for the world title. I don’t want to hear nothing about a guy coming off 2 fight skid and got KO’d his last fight,” Edwards wrote on Twitter.

It seems odd that Edwards wouldn’t leap at the chance of fighting Masvidal considering their track record, but I guess it’s understandable if he wants to wait for a title shot. Fellow fighters, such as welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, believe “Rocky” is backpedaling just a bit when it comes to a matchup with Masvidal.

“Gamebred,” who is never shy to voice his opinion, feels the same way. He issued a stern warning to Edwards on Thursday after finding out the English contender wants to wait for his title shot.

“If you not gonna fight then keep my name out your p—-y a— mouth you clout chasing biatch,” Masvidal wrote.

It’s unknown at this time exactly how this welterweight rivalry will play out, but Masvidal is looking to return to action this December. Considering Edwards has fought just twice over the past 26 months he may want to take one more fight before taking a stab at the champ.

What do you think, Maniacs? Will we ever see Masvidal vs. Edwards?

Sound off!

Yoel Romero will be making his return to fighting this weekend, but it won’t be as a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster.

Instead, Romero will be making his debut for Bellator MMA in a headlining act against Phil Davis at Bellator 266 live on Showtime from inside SAP Center in San Jose, California. It will be the first time since parting ways with UFC back in December that Romero is competing. Romero was scheduled to make his Bellator debut against Anthony Johnson earlier this year, but an eye injury has had him sidelined for months.

With UFC officially in the rearview and his Bellator career about to launch, “Solider of God” recently discussed his time as a member of the UFC roster and if he’s leaving anything behind.

“I don’t think I left anything undone in the UFC,” Romero said at Bellator 266’s pre-fight news conference Thursday. “Now, I’m taking another step to keep growing. I was already in the UFC. I humbly believe that I didn’t do too bad. I learned. I keep learning. Everything I learned I will manifest in this great company.”

Romero didn’t do that bad at all. In 13 trips to the Octagon the Cuban fighter recorded nine victories, seven knockouts, and two title fights. Romero would have technically competed in four UFC title fights, but a few botched weight cuts prohibited him from winning gold. While fight fans will expect to see the same ferocious fighter come Saturday night Romero will be competing in the light heavyweight division for the first time since a brief stopover in Strikeforce back in 2011.

“Everything in life, like I told you earlier, everything is a process,” Romero said. “Everything has a path to it. That’s what happened at first. First, I have to go through 185. It doesn’t mean that I won’t fight at 185 – if there’s a possibility to talk about 185 title. That doesn’t mean it’s going to change the game completely. To not have to worry about what I eat.”

Romero, 44, is entering an important time in his career. The former Olympic athlete lost his final three fights in UFC and needs to prove that he’s still a top contender in the world. With just 18 career MMA fights “Soldier of God” doesn’t have too many miles under his belt and plenty of room to still grow, but he’s looking to take his new Bellator venture one step at a time.

“First (you need to) set the ground because the ground… it will bring fruit,” Romero said. “First, (I will) set up the ground on Saturday.”

MMAmania.com will deliver coverage of Bellator 266 tomorrow night on Showtime. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.

The combat sports world has offered high praise for Anderson Silva following his devastating knockout victory over Tito Ortiz in a boxing match last weekend and former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has joined in.

Silva, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the history of MMA, has found huge success inside of the boxing since his UFC departure. This past June “Spider” upset former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his first boxing match since 2005 (highlights HERE). Most recently, Silva made quick work of Ortiz in a lopsided co-main event on Triller.

Silva’s transition to the boxing ring has been nothing short of spectacular. His peers, including Bisping, have reached out in droves to pay their respect to one of the best to ever do it.

“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest martial artists that this human race has ever seen,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Junkie). “He is a modern-day Bruce Lee. Anderson Silva truly is one of the greatest of all time, and that is just a fact.”

While Ortiz is a complete shell of his former self and Silva was a massive favorite to capture victory in their recent boxing escapade it was still impressive to see “Spider” go to work. Ortiz was quite aggressive in his approach to the fight and it cost him dearly inside of the ring.

“Tito said he’s gonna go out there and he’s gonna punch a hole in his head and he’s a fighter and all the rest of it, and he ain’t gonna use none of that wing-chun bollocks on him,” Bisping said. “Well, that is not the way you fight Anderson Silva. You can’t go in against Anderson Silva and be aggressive … Anderson Silva’s timing is impeccable, his reflexes are cat-like, urban cat-like and the diversity of attacks that Anderson Silva has is mind-blowing.”

Bisping, who spent most of his UFC tenure chasing down Silva in the 185-pound division, acknowledges that “Spider” didn’t end his MMA career on the right note. In fact, Silva won just one fight in his last nine trips to the Octagon. It’s not the best of ways to exit the MMA game, but the things that Silva is doing right now inside of the boxing ring at the age of 46 is absolutely astonishing.

“For Anderson Silva to still be doing this, at this level, at 46 years old, after the career that he had in mixed martial arts – we all know the fall from grace that he had,” Bisping said. “He lost a few fights and then he ended up getting knocked out against Uriah Hall, it looked like it was over. But he really has had a rebirth and as a fan of Anderson Silva, and make no mistake, I am a fan of Anderson Silva, you have to be. How can you not respect the body of work that he had?

“And also the way that he carries himself. Of course, he had the little thing with the steroids and what not and you all know my view on that and trust me when I fought him, I let him know my thoughts on that, make no mistake. I punished him for it, I made a fool out of him, I insulted him to the highest degree. But still, that’s water under the bridge, and Saturday night, Anderson Silva looked absolutely fantastic. So well done to Anderson, there’s still life in the old dog yet.”