The Bellator debut of Yoel Romero is back on the schedule. The former UFC title challenger is now set to face Phil Davis in the main event of the promotion’s September 18th card, per a press release from the promotion following a report from Ariel Helwani.
The bout will reportedly take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, USA. The fight is the first to be announced for that date and location for Bellator.
Romero was originally scheduled to make his Bellator debut earlier this year as part of the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix. That plan was later cancelled after he failed his pre-fight medicals.
There isn’t any concern from the promotion that medicals will be an issue this time around. Romero has received medical clearance to compete again, per Bellator President Scott Coker in an interview with Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
Davis appeared in the opening round of that eight-man tournament, losing a unanimous decision to current 205-pound champ Vadim Nemkov. The bout snapped a three-fight win streak that Davis had built up.
The fight will mark Romero’s first appearance since early 2020 when he lost a five-round fight against UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya.
UFC was the long-term home of Romero, as he had fought for them 13 times from 2013 to last year.
Three More Bouts Join Bellator’s New Event
A press release sent out by Bellator Friday announced three more bouts that will take place on September 18th.
An already booked fight between DeAnna Bennett and Alejandra Lara will now happen on the main card of this show. This is the third date for the matchup, as it was previously targeted for August 20th and July 31st.
Bellator veteran of over five years Adam Piccolotti will make his return on the prelims when fighting Saul Rogers.
Piccolotti has been out of the cage for a year now. His last fight was in August of 2020 where Sidney Outlaw took a split decision win over him.
Rogers will be fighting to bounce back from a loss he took against Mads Burnell in April.
Undefeated light heavyweight Grant Neal will also return on the card to fight former LFA champ Alex Polizzi.
Neal has scored five of his six pro wins in the Bellator cage. He most recently handed Tyree Fortune his first pro loss, submitting him within a round. Polizzi is returning after stopping Gustavo Balart within a round earlier this year.
The newly reported event is set to happen on a Saturday, putting Bellator head-to-head against UFC yet again. Their schedule frequently has events on Fridays, although some events like their recent July 31st card compete with the top MMA promotion.
Full Lineup:
Bout 4: Phil Davis (22-6) vs. Yoel Romero (13-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Alejandra Lara (9-4) vs. DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Adam Piccolotti (12-4) vs. Saul Rogers (14-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Grant Neal (6-0) vs. Alex Polizzi (7-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Knockdown News 