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MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the Bellator 297 main event between Vadim Nemkov and Yoel Romero.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the MMA’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 297.
Bellator 297 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Watch the 30 fighters competing at Bellator 297 come face-to-face with their opponents for the final time ahead of the fights.
CHICAGO – Bellator 297 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena and the fighters came face-to-face Thursday for the final time before they throw down in the cage.
Main event combatants [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) had a respectful faceoff. Nemkov seeks his fourth title defense while Romero challenges for a Bellator title for the first time.
A highly-anticipated co-main event super-fight produced an intense faceoff as bantamweight champion [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) stared each other down.
The fight marks Pettis’ first in 14 months since a serious knee injury. For Freire, the bout is his first at bantamweight and an opportunity for him to capture Bellator gold in a third weight division.
The full Bellator 297 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime (9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Legendary event coordinator Burt Watson was caught off guard by how long Yoel Romero was naked during his weigh-in for Bellator 297.
CHICAGO – The Bellator 297 main event is set.
Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) was first to hit the scale Friday, and he made weight at 203.8 pounds.
His opponent, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), stripped down behind a tarp and hit 205 pounds on the nose. The nudity triggered a comedic moment between Romero and legendary fight operations coordinator Burt Watson.
.@YoelRomeroMMA made weight, but he needed he towel… much to the dismay of the legendary @BurtWatson4real. 🤣#Bellator297 | https://t.co/Mul9RncYdk pic.twitter.com/Yp3Cc1ycH5
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 15, 2023
Nemkov, 30, has not lost in 11 fights and seeks his fourth successful title defense. Romero, 46, challenges for his first Bellator title after back-to-back wins over Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef.
Check out the Bellator 297 headliners’ weigh-ins in the video above.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Check out the results from the official Bellator 297 fighter weigh-ins in Chicago.
CHICAGO – MMA Junkie was on scene at Friday’s official Bellator 297 fighter weigh-ins, which took place at the Bellator host hotel in Chicago.
The nearby Wintrust Arena hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Among those who weighed in were light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), who meet in the main event. Both fighters made weight. Nemkov was first of all the fighters to take the scale and weighed 203.8. Minutes later, Romero weighed 205 with a towel, which created a comedic moment with Bellator fighter operations’ Burt Watson.
.@YoelRomeroMMA made weight, but he needed he towel… much to the dismay of the legendary @BurtWatson4real. 🤣#Bellator297 | https://t.co/Mul9RncYdk pic.twitter.com/Yp3Cc1ycH5
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 15, 2023
Bantamweight champ [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and featherweight titleholder [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA), who is trying for Bellator history with a title in a third division, also took to the scales.
Much buzz was made about Freire’s move to bantamweight, but Friday he proved any doubters wrong when he came in lighter than needed – at 134.2 pounds. Pettis affirmed his reputation as a professional when he came in even lighter, at 134 pounds.
BANTAMWEIGHT WEIGHT MADE. @PatricioPitbull and his "trainer" flex after success on the scales. Triple champ incoming? 💪https://t.co/Mul9RncYdk pic.twitter.com/qj1b4UwKbQ
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 15, 2023
The weigh-ins were rapid-fire to start, as 29 athletes weighed in during the first 15 minutes of the one-hour window. Welterweight [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was the lone fighter outside of the initial burst, but he made 171 with the towel.
The full Bellator 297 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (Showtime (9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
We discuss how Yoel Romero, Vadim Nemkov, Sergio Pettis, and Patricio Freire could have their legacies impacted in a big way at Bellator 297.
Bellator has one of the biggest events in its history Friday in Chicago with two title fights at the top of the bill.
In the main event of Bellator 297, [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] puts his light heavyweight title on the line against former UFC title challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag]. In the co-feature, [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] returns from injury to defend his bantamweight title against featherweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag].
Nemkov is in the conversation for the best light heavyweight in the world, and if he’s victorious against the always-dangerous Romero, his argument will only strengthen. If Romero wins at 46, he will have an incredible achievement in the late stage of his career.
Freire is attempting to make history again, as he looks to claim a world title in a third division. Questions surround him about his weight cut for this one, but also, Pettis may have some rust to knock off after being out of action since December 2021.
Who has the most on the line here? History and legacies are at play, but which outcome has the biggest impact? Would it be Romero’s late title run? Would it be Freire daring to be great, and even going further for a fourth title at flyweight? Will a Pettis victory place him among the greats at 135 pounds?
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Dan Tom, and Brian “Goze” Garcia answer those questions with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.
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Bellator’s headlining champs and challengers had their first faceoffs of fight week Wednesday 1,350 feet in the air – absent one key player.
CHICAGO – Bellator’s headlining champs and challengers had their first faceoffs of fight week Wednesday 1,350 feet in the air … absent one key player, though.
Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 297 main event.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) chases history when he tries to add the bantamweight title to his current featherweight belt. He challenges 135-pound champ [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the co-feature, and a win will make him the first fighter in Bellator history to have titles in three different divisions.
Wednesday, the fighters took questions from the media at a press conference at the Skydeck at Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Chicago’s tallest building. At 1,451 feet, the Willis Tower is the 23rd tallest building in the world, third tallest in the U.S. and has the tallest public viewing area of any building in the country.
But Romero elected to stay at the host hotel in downtown Chicago rather than go to the 99th floor of the building. Romero, he said, is afraid of heights. He joined the press conference through a video feed in his hotel room. That meant no faceoff for the main event, but there were three others.
Check out the highlights from the co-main event faceoff in the video above, as well as the faceoff between [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) and an appearance from Chicago’s own [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), a heavyweight contender who opens the main card against Gokhan Saricam (8-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA).
Bellator 297 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
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Yoel Romero certainly left a lasting mark with these finishes during his seven-year UFC tenure.
[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag]’s run in the UFC was quite the ride. It was chaotic, strange, and unpredictable, but in the best way possible.
Few had any idea what to expect from the Cuban fighter who had little MMA experience and was already in his late 30’s when he arrived, but he brought an unreal, Greek god-like physique and a decorated past in the highest level of wrestling.
To some, Romero surpassed expectations, as the best part of his athletic career was supposed to be in the rearview mirror when he left Cuba to start a fighting career. Romero fell short to others, as many times he came inches from winning a UFC title, but he just couldn’t get the job done.
Either way, his UFC career gave fans lovely soundbites, ridiculous Fight of the Nights, and much more. But above all, Romero created some of the most insane and devastating knockouts ever seen – which will forever highlight his UFC career.
Ahead of his Bellator 297 title fight this Friday against Vadim Nemkov, MMA Junkie compiled the top five UFC knockouts from “The Soldier of God.”
Vadim Nemkov thought his initial booking with Yoel Romero was too quick of a turnaround.
CHICAGO – Bellator light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] believed his initial booking with [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] was too quick of a turnaround.
Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) was scheduled to defend his title against Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at Bellator 290 in February – less than three months after winning the promotion’s grand prix final against Corey Anderson.
Nemkov ended up withdrawing due to injury, and the pair have been rebooked for Friday’s Bellator 297 headliner at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
“I’m actually happy that this fight is happening (Friday) since I have the previous fight and the time between these two fights would have been very short,” Nemkov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “So right now I have more time to prepare properly.
“I had more time to prepare myself and be in better shape this time. When you’re preparing for a fight that goes five rounds, five minutes each, you have to prepare harder, and you have to have more time to get prepared. This is why it’s very hard to fight every three months for five-round fights.”
Nemkov, a Sambo champion, will be taking on Olympic silver medalist wrestler Romero. But based on what he’s seen from Romero recently, he expects a stand-up battle.
“We both can wrestle, and we both can strike,” Nemkov said. “But I watched the last couple of fights from him, and I know myself. It’s probably not gonna be too much wrestling in this fight.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Yoel Romero wants to right the wrong of his prior UFC 225 title fight in Chicago when he meets Vadim Nemkov this Friday at Bellator 297.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] 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.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC is back home in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 225.
The event at the UFC Apex features a middleweight main event between former title challengers [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
This week, there are a total of 22 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA this week from June 16-17.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
