Ahead of his undisputed light heavyweight title challenge against Russian champion, Vadim Nemkov this weekend atop a Bellator 297 card in Chicago, Illinois – division title chaser, Yoel Romero missed this week’s press conference – appearing via video-link from his hotel room bed, to his revealed fear of heights. Romero, a fan-favorite light heavyweight contender, […]
Ahead of his undisputed light heavyweight title challenge against Russian champion, Vadim Nemkov this weekend atop a Bellator 297 card in Chicago, Illinois – division title chaser, Yoel Romero missed this week’s press conference – appearing via video-link from his hotel room bed, to his revealed fear of heights.
Romero, a fan-favorite light heavyweight contender, is slated to headline UFC 297 this weekend in Chicago taking on Nemkov – ahead of an undisputed bantamweight title fight clash with current gold holder, Sergio Pettis, and three-division title hopeful, Patricio Pitbull.
In the midst of a two-fight winning run ahead of his championship challenge against Nemkov, Romero got off the mark under the Bellator MMA banner against Alex Polizzi at Bellator Paris with a spectacular third round TKO win.
Returning in the co-main event of Bellator Dublin in September of last year at the 3Arena, Romero turned in another dominant win, eventually finishing veteran Dutch kickboxer, Melvin Manhoef with a slew of ground strikes in the capital.
Yoel Romero challenges for Bellator gold this weekend
Appearing via video link at yesterday’s Bellator 297 press conference, Romero was touted as have met his kryptonite, in the form of his revealed fear of heights.
“He (Yoel Romero) apologizes to everybody, but getting inside that building is a fight that he knows he’s not going to win,” Chael Sonnen told assembled media. “Everybody’s got a kryptonite – now we know what Yoel’s is.”
Touching on his fear, Cuban Olympic silver medalist, Romero explained that even with the help of his beloved kids, he would not even consider making his way onto a Ferris wheel.
“Not even with my kids would I be able to go up on a Ferris wheel,” Yoel Romero explained.
Unable to staredown with Nemkov in-person due to his absence, Romero – who remained on a screen to the side of the platform, eventually faced-off with the Russian champion, albeit virtually.
Vadim Nemkov will unfortunately not be defending his Bellator Light-heavyweight title at Bellator 290: Bader vs. Emelianenko 2, but a new addition to the card sees Johnny Eblen defending his Middleweight title in its place. Nemkov was scheduled for his fifth title defense at Bellator 290 vs. Yoel Romero, however, the defending champ was forced […]
Nemkov was scheduled for his fifth title defense at Bellator 290 vs. Yoel Romero, however, the defending champ was forced to withdraw from this bout due to undisclosed reasons.
Vadim’s previous title defense came during his 2nd bout vs. Corey Anderson, where he came out victorious via Unanimous Decision. The 2nd bout against Anderson was necessary due to their first bout ending in a No Contest when they accidentally had a devastating clash of heads.
Excluding the previously mentioned No Contest, Vadim Nemkov has enjoyed a run of 8 straight wins in Bellator, but the opportunity for a ninth will have to wait a while longer. Longtime veteran, Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero, is coming off a sensational knockout win over Melvin Manhoef, and it is truly a disappointment that we won’t see Romero challenge for the title in Los Angeles on February 4th.
Johnny Eblen vs. Anatoly Tokov to Replace as Co-Main Event
With the former co-main event, Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero, off the card, a new title bout between Johnny Eblen and Anatoly Tokov will take its place.
Johnny Eblen captured Bellator gold when he defeated the legendary Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 282 via Unanimous Decision. Eblen is now an astounding 12-0 in his professional MMA career with 8 of those wins coming in Bellator.
For his first title defense, Anatoly Tokov (31-3), another fighter who has never lost in Bellator, will challenge Eblen for the Middleweight gold.
The newly booked title bout, Eblen vs. Tokov, certainly erases much of the disappointment from the originally canceled bout between Nemkov and Romero. Bellator 290 will now once again feature two title fights: The Co-Main event of Eblen vs. Tokov and the Main Event, Bader vs. Emelianenko 2.
MMA fans and Bellator are both very fortunate to have such a thrilling replacement in the Co-Main event slot of this card. Don’t miss out on February 4th as Bellator 290 once again contains two enthralling title fights just as originally scheduled.
Would you like to see Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero rebooked?
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 16, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Chael Sonnen Questions Whether Jon Jones’ Case Has Been Over Exaggerated Jon Jones is dealing with another controversial police charge following an interaction at his house with a […]
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 16, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Sonnen believes Jones’ misdemeanor charges could be less serious than they appear to be
Sterling books grappling match on Karate Combat
Romero announces plans for his next fight
Chael Sonnen Questions Whether Jon Jones’ Case Has Been Over Exaggerated
Jon Jones is dealing with another controversial police charge following an interaction at his house with a drug-testing agent.
The UFC heavyweight champion has been charged with two misdemeanors where, if proven guilty, he could face fines or even jail time.
His former rival, Chael Sonnen, has some issues with the way that this process has been carried out following the initial reports from April.
During a recent YouTube video on his channel, Sonnen questioned both why the decision has taken so long based on the evidence they have and whether the case has been exaggerated with the misdemeanor charges.
“The agents came and did what they did but there is a significant difference guys, in being a jerk and being a criminal. There’s a significant difference in being rude and committing a crime and it’s annoying for me to have to read this about Jon and read that he’s got to deal with this. It’s annoying for me even if not the municipality that I live in…
“it’s annoying to me that on a double hit misdemeanor where there are not witnesses because – there’s a witness there but they’re not supporting the claim. There isn’t video cameras of everything but there is video surveillance and it doesn’t support the claim. It seems like a tough one and it still took those guys four, five, six [months], however long this is to make a decision even in this case.”
Aljamain Sterling Set To Compete on Karate Combat’s Pit Submission Series On July 25
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to make his Karate Combat debut on the Pit Submission Series.
The striking-focused promotion recently started opening up their events with several grappling bouts to kick off the show.
Sterling is set to compete on July 25 in Nashville at Karate Combat 48, where he faces Jay Jay Wilson.
“Funkmaster” has competed in several grappling matches in recent times with this being his first since he made his successful move up to featherweight with a win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.
The event is set to be headlined by the heavyweight title rematch between Sam Alvey and Antônio Arroyo.
Yoel Romero Says He’s Fighting Corey Anderson For The Bellator Light Heavyweight Title On October 19
Despite rumours of him making the jump to BKFC, former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero appears to be gearing up for his Bellator return.
“Soldier of God” has been inactive since his decision win over Thiago Santos in February at PFL vs Bellator and according to him, he’s now set up for a title shot.
Romero recently spoke in an interview on the Overdogs Espanol podcast where he claimed that he will be fighting Corey Anderson for the light heavyweight title on October 19 in Saudi Arabia.
The Bellator Champions Series is currently set to host events in Chicago on October 12 and Paris on November 16. While there is no event announced as of yet for Saudi Arabia, the PFL is expected to stage another pay-per-view in Riyadh this fall, with names like Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg expected to take part.
Perhaps Romero has leaked the date for that major show…
Yoel Romero has put together his first winning streak since 2016 after earning a decision win over Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 285. The last few years have not been easy for Romero, who signed with Bellator after ending his UFC career after losing four …
Yoel Romero has put together his first winning streak since 2016 after earning a decision win over Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 285. The last few years have not been easy for Romero, who signed with Bellator after ending his UFC career after losing four of his last five fights. His time in Bellator has been…
Former multipe time UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero lands his second consecutive victory under the Bellator MMA banner — sending veteran Suriname striker, Melvin Manhoef into retirement with a series of brutal third round ground elbows in the co-main event of Bellator 285. Romero, who was originally slated to feature against Manhoef back in […]
Former multipe time UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero lands his second consecutive victory under the Bellator MMA banner — sending veteran Suriname striker, Melvin Manhoef into retirement with a series of brutal third round ground elbows in the co-main event of Bellator 285.
Romero, who was originally slated to feature against Manhoef back in Paris earlier this year, instead drew Alex Polizzi on short-notice, landing a third round buzzer-beating KO win to boot, fracturing Polizzi’s jaw in the process.
Utilizing his often-underutilized grappling and wrestling in the first round against Manhoef, Romero managed to move to guard after a clever leg kick and the hook combination.
Taking Manhoef down at the cage fence early in the third frame, Romero postured up with just over a minute remaining in the third and final frame, raining down with ground strikes and a trio of brutal elbows, rendering the retiring, Manhoef unconscious.
Below, catch the highlights from Yoel Romero’s stunning KO of Melvin Manhoef
Veteran MMA fighter Melvin Manhoef is set to retire after Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland. The light heavyweight will have his final fight against fellow MMA veteran Yoel Romero in the co-main event on Sept. 23. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in May but Manhoef pulled out due to a hand injury. […]
Veteran MMA fighter Melvin Manhoef is set to retire after Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland. The light heavyweight will have his final fight against fellow MMA veteran Yoel Romero in the co-main event on Sept. 23.
The fight was originally scheduled to take place in May but Manhoef pulled out due to a hand injury. Now, the 46-year-old will return to the octagon for the first time in nearly two years.
Manhoef spoke with the media at the Bellator 285 pre-fight press conference, where he announced his intentions to retire. It will be the last fight in his 26-year career.
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be it. It’s the last fight of my contract with Bellator and I think I’ve done a lot of things,” Manhoef said. ”There’s also time to go and I think this is a great opponent to say farewell to all the fans because this fight is epic. It’s going to be a hard fight…the fans will be the winner.” (Transcribed via MMANews).
Melvin Manhoef Has Enjoyed His Two-Decade Career: “I Think I Have Given People A Lot of Fun to Watch”
The Surinamese-born fighter is 32-15-1 with 2 no contests in his MMA career. 29 of his wins have been knockouts. Along with Bellator, he has competed for One FC, Strikeforce, K-1, DREAM, RINGS, and KSW.
Manhoef last fought in Nov. 2020 where he faced Corey Anderson in a losing effort. He is 3-3 in his last six fights.
The MMA veteran is motivated to put on a show for the fans against a tough opponent in Yoel Romero. Before signing with Bellator in 2020, Romero had fought for Strikeforce and UFC. The 45-year-old is coming off a TKO win over Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280 in May.
“Everything in life has a beginning and an end. Hopefully, in his next and future life as a family man, he contributes to society with everything this sport has put in him [like] discipline, dedication and respect,” Romero said. “When we’re in the ring, It is what it is. I come to do my job and I hope he does his.” (English translation by Marc Ray).
Manhoef admits that it’s hard to say goodbye to MMA but is poised to get one final win to wrap up his career.
“I’m going to be there and do the best I can and enjoy what I do all the time [by] hurting people and knocking people out,” Manhoef said. “I really felt alive when I was doing this training camp [but] I’ve been doing this for 28 years now so it’s hard. I have to leave it to the next generation.“