Ahead of his incoming Bellator MMA light heavyweight title fight this weekend in the main event of Bellator 297, former UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero has shut down talk of a potential retirement from mixed martial arts competition, insisting that he will compete to fight into his 50’s.
Romero, 46, who returns to action this weekend in Chicago, Illinois, is slated to headline Bellator 297 in an undisputed light heavyweight title fight against Russian champion, Vadim Nemkov.
Taking headlining status, Romero’s first title shot under the Scott Coker-led banner, takes precedence over a bantamweight championship tilt between Sergio Pettis, and Patricio Pitbull – as the latter attempts to become a stunning three-weight world champion under the scrutiny of Bellator MMA.
In the midst of a two-fight winning run, Cuban fan-favorite, Yoel Romero most recently recorded a third round ground strikes KO win over fellow knockout artist, Melvin Manhoef in Dublin, Ireland in September of last year, following a buzzer-beating TKO win over Alex Polizzi in a co-main event clash in Paris earlier that year.
Yoel Romero rules out impending retirement from MMA ahead of Bellator 297
A veteran freestyle wrestler, Romero, an Olympic silver medalist to boot – who has been touted to consider an impending retirement from professional mixed martial arts competition, has ruled out the potential of a career curtain close this weekend – and for the foreseeable future.
“No chance, no chance,” Yoel Romero said in Spanish when discussing a potential retirement during a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “No chance, no chance at all. That doesn’t event go through my mind. I’ve got five more years in this sport. That’s what I think of. I plan on fighting until I’m 52. That’s my focus.”
Boasting a 15-6 professional record, over the course of his professional career, Romero holds notable triumphs over the likes of Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Tim Kennedy, Lyoto Machida, Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, and the aforenoted, Manhoef.