Yoel Romero will fight for his first Bellator victory later this year, facing fellow veteran Melvin Manhoef at the promotion’s May 6th event.
Their bout is set to be the co-main event of a card from the Accor Arena in Paris, France, per an announcement made Thursday.
Romero, a former UFC title challenger, made his Bellator debut last year in a bout against Phil Davis. He lost that bout via split decision, moving his losing streak to four consecutive fights.
Romero’s move to Bellator came after a 13-fight run in the UFC from 2013 to 2020. He departed the promotion after a loss to UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. Despite being on a losing streak at the time, his departure shocked many.
Manhoef is returning after over a year outside of the cage. His last appearance was a stoppage loss to former UFC fighter Corey Anderson in late 2020. This defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for Manhoef.
Bellator’s return to Paris is scheduled to be headlined by heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and France’s own Cheick Kongo. That bout was announced by the promotion last month after Bader defended his belt against Valentin Moldavsky.
Knockdown News 