Updated 17 December 2020 at 12:25 IST
Yoel Romero names Anthony Johnson as his likely opponent on much-awaited Bellator debut
Former UFC star Yoel Romero said that there’s a good chance he could face Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in what would be both the fighters’ Bellator MMA debut.
Yoel Romero recently sat down with ESPN where he gave fans a really exciting news. The multiple-time UFC middleweight title challenger said that there’s a good chance he could face Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in what would be both fighters’ Bellator MMA debut. The Solider of God signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator after getting released by UFC in early December. The news came just days after Bellator announced the signing of Johnson, who is also a UFC veteran and a multiple-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger.
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With both Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson scheduled to make their Bellator MMA debut in 2021, fans all over the world are salivating over the idea of a possible bout between the two former UFC powerhouses. Yoel Romero is a former middleweight, who would gain some weight and join Johnson in the light heavyweight division of Bellator MMA. And though the news of the highly-anticipated bout is yet to be made official, The Soldier of God claims that there’s a strong possibility that the bout will go down next year.
“There’s a 90 percent chance that he (Anthony Johnson) will be my first opponent. It’s a fight that a lot of people would be pleased (if it happens),” Yoel Romero told Ariel Helwani.
Yoel Romero revealed that he’s moving to the light heavyweight division because Bellator MMA boasts some incredible talents in the 205lb category. The former Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler stated that he’s looking forward to fighting champion Ryan Bader, Vadim Nemkov, Phil Davis, Lyoto Machida and various others.
Yoel Romero Bellator debut: Romero on UFC release
When asked about his UFC release, the 43-year-old stated that he was training for a fight in January 2021 before he was shocked with the call of his release. However, the Cuban claimed that he’s only looking forward and is still training hard to make an impressive Bellator MMA debut. “I’m still with the same training, so I’m ready to fight in February. I’m ready, I’m prepared and I’m happy waiting for big things to come. And for big things to come you need to be hungry and happy. All those top fighters at 205, that’s who we’re aiming for so we can get to the top,” he added.
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Image Source: UFC/ YouTube, Bellator/ Instagram
Published By : Adil Khan
Published On: 17 December 2020 at 12:25 IST