Yoel Romero ensures Bellator 297 won't be 'the same as last time' he had title fight in Chicago

CHICAGO – Yoel Romero wants to right the wrong of his prior title fight that took place in the “Windy City.”

Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), a former four-time UFC title challenger, came closest to capturing gold when he was edged out by Robert Whittaker in June 2018 at UFC 225. Despite dropping Whittaker multiple times, Romero lost the fight by split decision and wasn’t eligible to win the belt anyway after missing weight by 0.2 pounds.

Romero thought he won that fight and vows to leave Chicago with his hand raised this time when he challenges Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) in Friday’s Bellator 297 headliner at Wintrust Arena.

“On some occasions, it’s good to remember and believe in those things that motivate me,” Romero told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Tuesday’s media day. “When I trained, it was to come back and fight here. Years ago, I was a champion of another company. Everyone knows what happened in that fight. This time I’ll make sure it’s not the same as last time. So for the day, I tell my children. I’ll have another story to tell them.”

After back-to-back knockouts of Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef, Romero will get a title shot against Nemkov, who’s yet to lose in Bellator. Having fought the likes of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and a slew of former UFC champions, Romero, at 46, is confident he has the experience to prevail.

“Every fighter is different,” Romero said. “I’ve fought very good fighters before. They all have something special. Nemkov’s an exceptional, amazing fighter. I don’t think he’s above or below the level of fighters I’ve fought before. It is what it is.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.