Bellator MMA has made another big signing. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani has reported that the promotion has agreed to a multi-fight deal with The Soldier of God, Yoel Romero (13-5). Romero will be competing at light heavyweight.
This news came out of no where this morning. A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that the UFC had cut Romero. Romero still had a few fights left on his deal and his last fight had been for the middleweight title.
However, the UFC is going to be making some serious roster cuts between now and the end of the year. After he was released, Bellator came out and said that they were not interested in bringing in Yoel Romero.Â
I believed that this was a big mistake because Romero is still one of the best fighters in the world. However, it appears that the promotion had a change of heart over the last week.
After initially saying that they wouldn’t be interested, Bellator changed their tune late last week. They began negotiating with Romero and they came to a deal. The Soldier of God is officially heading for Bellator’s light heavyweight division.
Romero in Bellator
Yoel Romero is the third addition to Bellator’s light heavyweight division in 2020 of fighters who were under contract with the UFC. Corey Anderson parted ways with the UFC despite having fights left on his deal to sign with Bellator.
Last week, Anthony Johnson parted ways with the UFC with fights left on his deal and signed with Bellator. Now, Romero is doing the same thing. While the UFC was comfortable letting these guys go, they’ve bulstered the light heavyweight division of the competition.
I’m extremely interested in seeing Romero compete at light heavyweight. For years, Romero has struggled to get down to 185 pounds. I’ve always been curious to see how he would do when he didn’t have to cut weight.
We are going to get to see that in Bellator. It’s a big move for the promotion and the right move. I’m glad they decided to reevaluate the situation and go after Romero after initially saying they would not.