46-year-old Yoel Romero believes that his age is somewhat of an advantage ahead of his return at PFL vs. Bellator next month.
‘Soldier of God’ has been out of the cage since a clash with Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 297 in June. That bout was a major one for Yoel Romero, as it was his first title bout since a 2020 decision loss to Israel Adesanya. To earn the bout, he scored dominant knockout wins over Melvin Manhoef, and Alex Polizzi.
Ultimately, the longtime contender suffered a unanimous decision defeat to the light-heavyweight champion last summer. While some likely expected Yoel Romero to hang up the gloves with a loss, that’s not the case. Next month, Yoel Romero will travel to Saudi Arabia to face former UFC title challenger, Thiago Santos.
The bout will be one of the main attractions on the PFL vs. Bellator pay-per-view event, set for February 24th. Both men have struggled a bit heading into the light-heavyweight clash. While Yoel Romero is coming off a decision loss to Nemkov, Thiago Santos is currently riding a three-fight winless streak. The Brazilian last suffered a decision loss to Rob Wilkinson last April, but the bout was overturned to a no-contest.
The two men recently appeared at the PFL vs. Bellator press conference, which went down earlier this week. At the presser, Yoel Romero was asked about his age, and if it was a concern. There, the former UFC title challenge responded in the negative. While he’s coming off a loss, his age means knowledge and experience.
Yoel Romero at Bellator 266
Yoel Romero downplays potential age concerns at PFL vs. Bellator press conference
“It was a great fight between Santos and Jon Jones. I thought Santos looked great in the fight and that’s what I am expecting come next month.” Yoel Romero stated at the PFL vs. Bellator press conference earlier this week, praising his next opponent Thiago Santos.”…My performances in the cage have been good [despite my age].”
He continued, “I know they are not the results I am looking for but I feel good when I compete and so does my body. While I get older, I am gathering more experience that I can use.”
While Yoel Romero vs. Thiago Santos is an interesting fight, it’s far from the only one going down on February 24th. The cross-promoted event is expected to feature championship matchups such as Ryan Bader vs. Renan Ferreira, Jason Jackson vs. Ray Cooper III, and more.
What do you make of these comments from Yoel Romero? Do you believe he will defeat Thiago Santos at next month’s PFL vs. Bellator event?
