Making a short-notice debut under the banner of the Mike Perry-led, Dirty Boxing Championship overnight, Yoel Romero — a former title challenger both the banner of the UFC and Bellator MMA, laid waste to an opponent with a brutal first round knockout in a massive heavyweight outing.
Romero, a veteran former middleweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC before his eventual move to Bellator MMA — where he also competed for an undisputed light heavyweight crown, most recently featured in February under the scrutiny of the PFL in Riyadh.
![Video - Ex-UFC star Yoel Romero scores brutal knockout win in Dirty Boxing Championship debut fight 2 Yoel Romero rules out retirement talk ahead of Bellator 297 I plan to fight until I'm 52](https://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Collage-Maker-16-Jun-2023-05-31-PM-2193-1024x536.jpg)
And turning in his first victory since his transition to the Donn Davis-led organization, Romero turned in an impressive unanimous decision win over fellow UFC veteran and former title challenger, Thiago Santos.
![Video - Ex-UFC star Yoel Romero scores brutal knockout win in Dirty Boxing Championship debut fight 3 Yoel Romero reveals stunning BKFC move is in the works we're cooking something UFC](https://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MixCollage-25-Jun-2024-04-25-PM-3055-1024x536.jpg)
Featuring as a surprise inclusion in the above-mentioned Dirty Boxing Championship event overnight as part of the Perry-led promotion’s premiere outing, Romero took on opponent, Duane Crespo.
![Video - Ex-UFC star Yoel Romero scores brutal knockout win in Dirty Boxing Championship debut fight 4 Ex-UFC Star Yoel Romero Books Last-Minute Fight at Mike Perry's Dirty Championship Boxing](https://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MixCollage-22-Nov-2024-10-25-PM-8481-1024x536.jpg)
And taking in the fights were the likes of UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones — and former UFC starlet, Paige VanZant — with the invite-only crowd taking in a stunning first round knockout win for Cuban veteran wrestler, Yoel Romero.