In a light heavyweight championship bout in the main event, Vadim Nemkov and Yoel Romero meet Friday at Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims are on live streaming on Bellator’s YouTube channel at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.
Nemkov looks to defend his strap against the former UFC fighter. He is coming off a majority-decision victory against Corey Anderson at Bellator 288 in November after a no contest against Anderson at Bellator 287 in their first meeting in April 2022.
Since topping Ryan Bader at Bellator 244 on Aug. 21, 2020, Nemkov has successfully defended his title 3 times with the no contest. The 2 other defenses were a 4th-round submission win over Julius Anglickas at Bellator 268 (Oct. 2021) and a unanimous-decision victory over Phil Davis at Bellator 257 (April 2016).
Romero makes his 4th Bellator appearance since losing in a UFC title bout against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 in March 2020. The Cuban fighter’s Bellator debut was not great, as he lost by split-decision against Phil Davis. He has bounced back with a pair of 3rd-round KO/TKO wins over Alex Polizzi (May 2022) and Melvin Manhoef (Sept. 2022) to position himself for a title shot.
Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:56 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Nemkov -500 (bet $500 to win $100) | Romero +365 (bet $100 to win $365)
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Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero picks and predictions
Records: Nemkov (16-2-0) | Romero (15-6-0)
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
ROMERO (+365) is a giant underdog and a tremendous value. You can multiply your initial wager by more than 3 1/2 times playing the former UFC champ.
The 2-time Olympic wrestling champion from Cuba has a knockout of Luke Rockhold under his belt to win the light heavyweight strap at UFC 221. He narrowly lost by unanimous decision to Adesanya, one of the best to ever do it, in his UFC swan song.
While Romero didn’t start out great in Bellator, falling to Phil Davis by split-decision, he has bounced back with a pair of KO/TKO wins, showing off his signature punching power.
Romero can not only brawl toe-to-toe, but he is strong on the mat if he needs to go there. However, he’ll likely look to keep this one upright as much as possible as Nemkov also showed off his ground game abilities when he submitted Anglickas in one of his defense fights. The current champ is 3-0 via submission in 18 career pro bouts. Romero won’t want to go to the canvas, but instead will likely opt for a brawl instead.
Nemkov won’t go quietly into the night, but the time is now for Romero to ascend to the top of the division, and he is a solid value to do so.
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