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Here’s what you need to know to watch Yoel Romero make his promotional debut against Phil Davis in the Bellator 266 main event.
After withdrawing from his originally booked promotional debut, former UFC title challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] is finally prepared to step inside the Bellator cage against former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] in a pivotal main event.
Here’s how to watch Bellator 266:
Former Penn State wrestling champion Phil Davis is ready to make his MMA return this September.
September 18 is a big day for Penn State fans as Penn State football will take on Auburn under the lights of ABC Saturday Night Football from Beaver Stadium in the White Out. Also that night, we will see a former Penn State wrestling champion make his return to the MMA Cage.
Bellator MMA announced that former Penn State wrestling champion Phil Davis will make his return to the cage when he takes on Yoel Romero in the main event of Bellator 266, which will take place on September 18 from San Jose on Showtime.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
"The Soldier of God" @YoelRomeroMMA will make his Bellator MMA debut against @PhilMrWonderful on Saturday, September 18th in San Jose.
Tickets on sale Thursday, August 19th on Ticketmaster. #Bellator266 pic.twitter.com/Lx2vZq1FUX
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 13, 2021
The last time we saw Phil Davis in the cage was in April 2021 when he lost to Vadim Nemkov for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title.
Phil Davis is from Harrisburgh and has a career record of 22-6. Davis won the NCAA championship in 2008 at 197 pounds.
All of Penn State will be pulling for Davis when he enters the cage as he works his way back to the top.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.
Not only is Yoel Romero ready to return, he now has a fight booked.
Not only is [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] ready to return, he now has a fight booked.
One day after Bellator president Scott Coker told MMA Junkie that Romero has been medically cleared, the promotion rebooked his promotional debut for September 18 against former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag]. The fight is set to headline Bellator 266, the promotion’s first event at its home base of SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., since Bellator 226 on Sept. 7, 2019.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking Friday following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The promotion later confirmed the news with an announcement.
This is a re-do for Romero, who signed with Bellator last December after a seven-year run with the UFC. Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) previously was booked to make his debut against Anthony Johnson to open the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix on May 7. However, Romero was forced to withdraw because of concerns about his eye following a pre-fight medical exam.
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Romero, 44, hasn’t competed 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.
Davis (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA), meanwhile, is coming off an April 16 unanimous decision loss to champion Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, which snapped a three-fight winning streak.
The current Bellator 266 lineup includes:
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Vadim Nemkov continued his unbeaten run in Bellator and moves on to the semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament.
[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag]’s first Bellator title defense is in the books.
The Bellator light heavyweight champion defeated challenger [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] in a rematch that headlined Friday’s Bellator 257 in Uncasville, Conn. Nemkov (14-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) outpointed Davis (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) in a unanimous decision that read 48-47 across all three judges’ scorecards.
The championship bout was part of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix. Nemkov advances to the semifinal and will take on the winner of Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero, which is set to go down on May 7.
In the first round, both fighters remained standing and no one attempted to take the action to the ground. On the feet, neither fighter landed anything significant. However, the champion was busier than Davis and landed more shots.
The second round is where the action picked up, as Nemkov was able to drop Davis with an uppercut and force him into survival mode. Davis did a great job at avoiding further damage and pressed Nemkov against the cage long enough to recover, but Nemkov outstruck him for the rest of the round.
The third round, Davis did a better job at pressing forward and forcing action, but Nemkov still managed to land cleaner and stay a little busier. The champion controlled most of the action on the feet up to that point of the fight.
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The fourth was much of a continuation of the third. Nemkov was landing more and had a higher volume of strikes. Davis fell behind but did manage to wake up the champion late in the fourth. With about a minute left, Davis connected with a right hand that slightly stunned Nemkov. In the following exchanges, Davis connected clean a couple more times but didn’t significantly hurt the Russian. It was likely Davis’ best round.
In the final round, Davis attempted to capitalize on the momentum of the end of the fourth. He pressed the action and was looking more aggressive, making the fight a lot closer and even having a slight edge. It was an admirable attempt, but it came too late as Nemkov had done enough to steal the early rounds of the fight.
Nemkov remains unbeaten under the Bellator banner. He won the Bellator 205-pound title stopping Ryan Bader in the second round back in August. Nemkov is currently on a seven-fight winning streak. His last loss came to fellow Bellator light heavyweight Karl Albrektsson back in 2016 at Rizin FF 1.
Davis saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end. He’s 5-2 in his last seven outings with the two defeats coming to Nemkov as he has previously lost to the Russian in a split decision back in 2018.
Official Bellator 257 results include:
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See the top Twitter reactions to Vadim Nemkov’s title defense over Phil Davis in their grand prix quarterfinal at Bellator 257.
[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] got his title reign off to a promising start on Friday when he defended the light heavyweight belt against [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] in the Bellator 257 headliner.
Nemkov (13-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) retained the strap and subsequently advances to the semifinal round of the promotion’s 205-pound grand prix when he beat Davis (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) for a second time in his career, earning a unanimous decision victory in the headlining but at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Nemkov’s victory over Davis at Bellator 257.
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the Bellator 257 main event rematch between Vadim Nemkov and Phil Davis.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 257.
Bellator 257 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out the Bellator 257 competitors’ ceremonial faceoffs.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday as does the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix.
In the main event, the 205-pound title will be on the line when [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in a rematch of their three-round fight in November 2018. The fight doubles as a grand prix quarterfinal, which is one of two tournament bouts atop the card.
In the co-main event, former UFC contender [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) battles promotional newcomer [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
The most heated faceoff occurred, however, between [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who have engaged in a feud that dates back over a year. Though they’ve been booked multiple times against one another, the fight has never come to fruition. The rivalry stems from a past altercation in a hotel lobby that involved Homasi’s teammate Dustin Poirier.
Bellator 257 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The entire card will be live and free on MMA Junkie.
Following Thursday’s official Bellator 257 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.
Check out the faceoffs below, including Nemkov vs. Davis 2, Anderson vs. Yagshimuradov, Daley vs. Homasi, Julia Budd vs. Dayana Silva, Raymond Daniels vs. Peter Stanonik 2, and more.
Phil Davis reflected on his time at Penn State and how it helped mold him to be the MMA star he is today.
Penn State’s own Phil Davis has gone from being a wrestling program great to one of the top stars in the world of mixed martial arts. On Friday night, Davis will headline Bellator 257 with a rematch with Vadim Nemkov to open the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal. The light heavyweight title is also on the line.
Davis lost a split decision against Nemkov in November 2018, so a chance for redemption is something Davis cherishes.
“Just being included in the grand prix is such a great opportunity to test my skills against all these other great fighters. But to get the champion first, you want those situations. You want to go big or go home.”
I asked Phil Davis (@PhilMrWonderful) about being part of the #BellatorLHWGP and getting the Champ in the rematch#Bellator257 #PennState @NittanyLionWire pic.twitter.com/19q5NOQ49T
— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) April 15, 2021
Phil Davis is a former Penn State wrestler and he became an NCAA wrestling champion in 2008. Davis was also an NCAA All-American from 2005-2008 during his time at Happy Valley. Davis said being a part of the Penn State wrestling program helped keep him at the top of his game.
“It was just the atmosphere. The team, my coaches. Everyone in the room is pushing you,” Davis told Nittany Lion Wire. “Everyone in the room is challenging you.”
Bellator 257 pre-event facts: Phil Davis on the cusp of history
“To get to the next level of being good at a sport and of being great at a sport, you have to accept every challenge,” Davis explained. “I just remember feeling there was no day I would let my team down. I would show up every day and I would kick butt every day.”
I asked Phil Davis (@PhilMrWonderful) about being part of the #BellatorLHWGP and getting the Champ in the rematch#Bellator257 #PennState @NittanyLionWire pic.twitter.com/19q5NOQ49T
— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) April 15, 2021
Davis is a former Light Heavyweight Champion in Bellator MMA, defeating Liam McGreary at Bellator 163 in 2016. He now looks to recapture the belt and move on in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix.
Phil Davis will battle Nemkov on Friday, April 16 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.
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We want your predictions for Bellator 257, featuring champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis in a title fight and light heavyweight tourney bout.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 257 event in Connecticut.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 257 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 257 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for the fights below.
‘King Mo’ Lawal shares his thoughts on the quarterfinal matchups for Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix.
[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag] is keeping a close eye to the upcoming Bellator light heavyweight grand prix.
The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion likes what Bellator has put together for their 205-pound division this spring – an eight-man tournament where the light heavyweight title is being disputed throughout the entirety of the bracket.
Defending titleholder [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] hopes to solidify his status as champion, while [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag], [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag] will attempt to dethrone the champion and leave the grand prix reining over the division.
Lawal, who’s got plenty of experience in MMA tournaments, having won the Rizin FF heavyweight grand prix in 2015 and competed in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix in 2018, is excited to see this upcoming tournament unfold. And although he feels Nemkov might retain his title through the entirety of tournament, “King Mo” admits the grand prix is as competitive as they come.
Speaking with MMA Junkie Radio, Lawal shared his thoughts the upcoming Bellator light heavyweight grand prix.
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