Yoel Romero won’t be facing MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef next weekend.
Manhoef has been pulled from his May 6th Bellator fight against Romero, per a report from Lars Van Soest of Redactie Telesport. Romero’s now scheduled to face former LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Polizzi instead.
The new matchup is expected to take place in the co-main event of a card at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Friday.
Manhoef’s injury reportedly stemmed from an incident last month when he stopped a group of alleged burglars in the Netherlands.
The fight at Bellator 280 was scheduled to be Manhoef’s return to the cage, competing for the first time since suffering a loss against Corey Anderson in 2020.
He’s now scheduled to be replaced by Polizzi, who has picked up four wins through five appearances since joining Bellator two years ago. His last victory came in March, submitting Jose August Azevedo in the third round via rear naked choke.
Now with a new opponent in place, Romero will be fighting for his first win since joining Bellator. He had an unsuccessful promotional debut in September 2021, suffering a split decision loss against Phil Davis in the main event of Bellator 266.
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