Yoel Romero lost his Bellator debut – but was still compensated the highest amount of anyone on the card.
Bellator 266 is in the books and although [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] was the victorious half of the main event, he didn’t receive the highest disclosed payout according to the event’s commissioning body.
While Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) pocketed a $100,000 flat salary for his three-round split decision, his opponent [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned $150,000 in defeat. The fight was Romero’s promotional debut with Bellator and his first bout since his UFC departure in 2020.
MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 266 payouts Wednesday from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster. The amounts include win and show purses, but do not account for any discretionary bonuses.
Bellator 266 took place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out the full list of Bellator 266 payouts below:
A friend of Daniel Cormier and a former University of Illinois standout, Jesse Delgado feels like his MMA debut is long overdue.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Jesse Delgado[/autotag] hasn’t fought yet, but he’s been involved in the mixed martial arts scene for about five years.
A three-time All-American wrestler and a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Illinois, Delgado (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his professional MMA debut Saturday at Bellator 266. The fight is a promotional one-off for the flyweight fighter, but he hopes it’ll mark the start of a successful MMA stint.
“I’m excited, man, excited. It seems like it’s been a while that I’ve been trying to get a fight, so I’m excited to finally get one,” Delgado told MMA Junkie.
Delgado, 29, didn’t always plan to enter MMA, though he’s been a big fan for about as long as he can remember. When he was 8, Delgado and his uncle began tuning into MMA fights, and he’s been hooked since. After he was brought in to assist Yair Rodriguez for a fight in the UFC, Delgado began considering the move more seriously.
“I’ve always been a big fan,” Delgado said. “I kind of started thinking about it when I got to college. My coach is really good friends with Israel Martinez. So I got hooked up with a striking coach, and I got really close with Mike Valle out in Chicago at VFS Academy. That’s kind of how … I got acquainted with a little bit more (and) made it realistic.”
Mar 23, 2013: Jesse Delgado of Illinois celebrates his win over Nicholas Magaludis of Penn State in the 125-pound final at the NCAA wrestling Division I championships. (Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports)
Given Delgado’s resume, the transition on the grappling side of MMA was significantly less of a switch-up compared to learning striking from the ground up. At first, it was an uncomfortable concept, but Delgado since evolved.
“It’s kind of a natural reaction to want to pull away and close your eyes, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Delgado said. “It’s funny to say that, but getting punched in the face isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s not fun. It’s not fun, but you get used to it like anything else.”
In addition to working on his own combat sports skillset, Delgado teaches wrestling classes at Daniel Cormier’s academy. He tries to follow the same mottos he tells his students on the mats and be a living example of how they work.
“Enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy every part of it,” Delgado said. “I know sometimes it’s hard. I tell the kids, ‘Sometimes it’s hard. You don’t want to cut the weight. You’re exhausted. You don’t want to go to practice, but kind of when it’s done and the dust settles, you’re going to miss it.’ I’m just trying to kind of enjoy everything and see what happens, see where it takes me, and try to get as good as I can, try to work as hard as I can, try to do as well as I can.”
Bellator 266 takes place Saturday at SAP Center. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
The lineup for Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.
The lineup for next week’s Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.
[autotag]Rhalan Gracie[/autotag] (0-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will return to MMA for the first time since 2007 when he takes on [autotag]Shane Keefe[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight.
Plus, [autotag]Eddie Abasolo[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Art Hernandez[/autotag] (4-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 160-pound contract weight fight; [autotag]Edwin De Los Santos[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jon Adams[/autotag] (0-1-1 MMA, 0-1-1 BMMA) at flyweight; and [autotag]Jesse Delgado[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) fights [autotag]Joshua Dillon[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 130-pound contract weight bout.
Bellator 266 takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card will be Bellator’s first in San Jose in more than two years.
In the main event, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) finally will make his Bellator debut when he takes on former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA).
Romero signed with Bellator in December 2020 after a seven-year run with the UFC. He was booked to make his promotional debut against Anthony Johnson to open the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix in May, but was forced to withdraw because of concerns over his eye following a pre-fight medical exam.
Romero, 44, hasn’t fought since March 2020 when he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 248, which marked his third consecutive loss. His other two defeats in the skid came against Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Romero hasn’t won since a February 2018 knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.
