The long anticipated Bellator debut of Yoel Romero (13-5) is finally set per Ariel Helwani. The former top contender in the UFC was originally supposed to compete in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix back in May and fight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
However, The Soldier of God was not medically cleared for his Bellator debut. Romero has been cleared to compete and the promotion has moved forward with booking his debut. He will be taking former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis (22-6, 1 NC) on September 18th.
Davis lost to the current champion, Vadim Nemkov, in the opening round of the Grand Prix. That loss to Nemkov back at Bellator 257 snapped a three-fight win streak for Davis.
It’s crazy to think that it’s already been about six years since Davis made the jump to Bellator. After his UFC contract expired back in 2015, Davis made the switch. Since making the jump, he’s been one of the best in the promotion.
Overall, Davis is 9-3 in his 12 fights for Bellator. His only three losses have come against Vadim Nemkov (Twice) and Ryan Bader. He should pose a big challenge for Romero next month.
Romero’s Bellator Debut
As mentioned above, we are finally going to see the Bellator debut from Yoel Romero. Yoel Romero had a very interesting end to his UFC run and it is still a little puzzling that he was let go by the promotion.
Romero hasn’t fought since March of 2020 when he lost to Israel Adesanya in a fight for the UFC middleweight title. He was then booked against Uriah Hall in a fight in August, but he had to pull out of the fight.
The UFC went through a number of cuts last year and they let Romero go. Romero went 9-4 during his run in the UFC. He never captured a title, but he’s widely considered to be one of the best fighters to never capture a belt.
Once Romero was let go, Bellator swooped in and signed him. Romero has seemed to have found the fountain of youth as he never seems to age. He will be 44 when he makes the walk next month, but he’s still not showing signs of slowing down.