Tag: Yoel Romero

Do we know yet who has the best shot at Bellator’s light heavyweight tourney?

We know three of the four semifinalists in Bellator’s light heavyweight tournament – but do we know who the favorite is yet?

We know three of the four semifinalists in Bellator’s light heavyweight tournament – but do we know who the favorite is yet?

Champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] reached the semis with a title defense win over Phil Davis. Former champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] looked good in his first fight to move on. And so did [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag].

But we haven’t seen the fourth quarterfinal fight, and it’s between a pair of former UFC standouts making their Bellator debuts: [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag].

Is one of the three men in the semis the clear favorite to win the tournament? Or do we need to see Romero vs. Johnson before we know what’s what? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura broke it down with host John Morgan.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, or check out this week’s full episode below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9ngSXxYeUo

 

Anthony Johnson ready for five rounds with ‘superior athlete’ Yoel Romero at Bellator 258

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson appears to be in top shape and ready for whatever comes his way at Bellator 258.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Though he’s never gone past the third round, [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] faces a potentially tough 25 minutes in his first fight back from retirement.

Johnson (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) returns from an over four-year layoff to fight [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] in the light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals, which will serve as the co-main event of Bellator 258 on May 7.

In a battle of two of the most powerful light heavyweights, the judges’ scorecards might not be needed in this one. Throughout his UFC tenure, which included two failed attempts at capturing the 205-pound title, Johnson has been booked for several five-round fights. However, Johnson never has gone past the third round and could find himself in unfamiliar territory.

But “Rumble,” who looks in peak shape, says he’s prepared himself to go the distance.

“Everybody wants three rounds. Who wants five rounds?” Johnson told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “That’s 25 minutes of fighting. I’d take 15 over 25 any day, but I’m ready for it. My fights don’t usually last five rounds. It’s either me or them, and that’s fine with me. I don’t like leaving anything to the judges at all. But five rounds, if that’s what it has to be, that’s what it has to be.

“I’ve heard that number so many times during my fights for main events and stuff like that. I trained for five rounds. If it doesn’t go five rounds, perfect. Win or lose, perfect, but if it goes five rounds, I’m not worried about it. I have been training hard for this whole entire situation that I’m about to be in May 7.”

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Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), on the other hand, has not only been the much more active fighter in recent years, but he’s gone the distance in three of his past five fights. But if Romero isn’t displaying a patient approach, he’s usually knocking guys’ heads off, which Johnson admits makes him difficult to figure out.

“Yoel is very tricky,” Johnson said. “He’s an explosive fighter, one of the most explosive fighters I’ve seen. He can wrestle his butt off and can knock you out, too. We’ve seen it in a couple of different fights, so I have to be very aware of whatever he presents to me. So I just gotta do me. I’m not really worried about what he can do. I focus on myself and sharpening my tools, and they have to adjust.

“You have to adjust regardless in a fight because everybody does something different and just because it looks similar in practice does not necessarily mean it’s gonna be like that during the fight. I’m just looking forward to the challenge. I’m ready to go out there and see what happens, see if the 37-year-old still got it. Even though he’s older than me, he still has it. I think he’s a superior athlete. I have nothing bad to say about him because he is a great athlete, and he’s a fighter, and I respect all fighters.”

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Bellator light heavyweight grand prix gets shakeup with bouts shifted

Folks will have to wait a little bit longer to see Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero throw down in the cage.

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The Bellator light heavyweight grand prix received a shakeup Friday – but don’t worry: All four quarterfinal matchups are still on.

Bellator announced Friday that [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag] – originally scheduled for April 9 – has been moved back one week to Bellator 257 on April 16. In addition, the highly anticipated bout between former UFC title challengers [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] also has been postponed – from April 16 to May 7 at Bellator 258.

No reason was given for the change in dates. Both grand prix bouts will serve as the co-main events of Bellator 257 and Bellator 258, which take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

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With the changes, below are the updated lineups for Bellator 256, 257 and 258:

Bellator 256

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida
  • Liz Carmouche vs. Vanessa Porto
  • Adam Borics vs. Jeremy Kennedy
  • Olivia Parker vs. Cat Zingano

PRELIMS (Bellator YouTube, MMA Junkie)

  • Tony Johnson vs. Dalton Rosta
  • Jessica Borga vs. Talita Nogueira
  • Cass Bell vs. Jornel Lugo
  • Nathan Ghareeb vs. Cody Law
  • Jaylon Bates vs. Jeffrey Glossner
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Izzy William
  • Diana Avsaragova vs. Tara Graff
  • John Douma vs. Will Smith

Bellator 257

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis
  • Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Paul Daley vs. Sabah Homasi
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Desiree Yanez

PRELIMS (Bellator YouTube, MMA Junkie)

  • Aiden Lee vs. Aaron Pico
  • Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Marcus Surin
  • Grachik Bozinyan vs. Demarques Jackson
  • John DeJesus vs. Alfred Khashakyan

Belllator 258

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Juan Archuleta vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero
  • James Gallagher vs. Patchy Mix

PRELIMS (Bellator YouTube, MMA Junkie)

  • Josh Hill vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Weber Almeida vs. Johnny Soto
  • Johnny Eblen vs. Daniel Madrid
  • Henry Corrales vs. Keith Lee
  • Bryce Logan vs. Alan Omer

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‘King Mo’ Lawal breaks down Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals

‘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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Video: Would Anthony Johnson winning grand prix be Bellator’s best-case scenario?

It will have been four years since Anthony Johnson last fought and yet, he’s still viewed as being as dangerous as they come.

When Bellator returns to action in April, it’s suffice to say the promotion is giving fans what it wants: a light heavyweight grand prix stacked with big names.

The 205-pound tournament will kick off April 9 at Bellator 256 with two quarterfinal matchups: [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag], and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag]. The other side of the bracket will play out the following week at Bellator 257, with champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] defending his title in a rematch with [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag], and the matchup everyone can hardly wait to see – [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag].

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When assessing the tournament, who do you think emerges as the winner? And what would be the best outcome for Bellator? The “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura weighed in during this week’s episode – and guess what? “Rumble” was a popular choice coming off a four-year layoff.

Check out their discussion in the video above. The full episode can be seen below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XGCNIm5yPM

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Yoel Romero: Anthony Johnson bout reaction shows fans follow fighters regardless of promotion

Yoel Romero shares his thoughts on the fan reaction of his clash against Anthony Johnson.

[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] knew he wasn’t going to become yesterday’s news when he left the UFC.

The multiple-time UFC title challenger has been been a prime topic of conversation in the MMA world since he signed with Bellator, buzz which started again Tuesday with the announcement of his matchup against Anthony Johnson.

The two fan favorites are set to meet April 16 at Bellator 257, and the bout is part of the quarterfinal lineup of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix.

Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) believes the online reaction to the matchup against Johnson (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a testament to both of their careers, and to how fans will follow the favorite fighters regardless of which promotion hosts their bouts.

“The reaction of the fans is always going to be the same, it doesn’t depend on what company the fighter is in or where the fighter is fighting at, but more on what the athlete has done,” Romero explained to reporters at a media availability following Bellator’s Tuesday press conference.

“The fans will follow you not because of the company or league that you’re competing in, but what the athlete has done. I think the reaction from the fans it’s a reflection of the work that Anthony and I have had outside of Bellator and even outside of the UFC.

“I’ve humbly been competing since 1997, I fought in Strikeforce, then UFC, and now I’m in another big company which is Bellator. I think that’s the reaction of a fan base that’s been following you for many years. It’s obvious that the fan base is aware of the legacy that Anthony Johnson has, as well as myself.”

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Both Romero and Johnson recently joined the Bellator ranks after having lengthy UFC careers. The two are considered among the very best in their divisions, as they both stepped away from UFC competition after title shots in their last respective fights.

Romero, who’s moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight, will compete on the same card in which the Bellator light heavyweight title will be defended with champ Vadim Nemkov taking on former titleholder Phil Davis. The Nemkov-Davis rematch will also be part of the quarterfinal matchups of the grand prix.

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Scott Coker explains why he booked Yoel Romero vs. ‘Rumble’ Johnson, chose 205 for grand prix

“When the fight is there, you have to do it,” the Bellator boss explained.

As 2020 wound down, Bellator president Scott Coker was repeatedly asked which weight class was next for a grand prix tournament.

While Coker never committed to an answer in interviews, he hinted at a couple options. Most of the conversation revolved around two divisions: women’s flyweight and men’s light heavyweight.

Ultimately, 205-pound men were selected for the tournament, as the promotion announced the light heavyweight grand prix during a news conference Tuesday.

Though light heavyweight was the ultimate selection, the promotion was close to going a different route, Coker revealed to MMA Junkie at a later media availability.

“We were actually heading into a different direction,” Coker said. “The (different) direction was the female tournament at 125. What changed that was the free agent signings. We started signing some (fighters). It started with Corey Anderson, actually. Bader was here. Phil was already here. Nemkov was here. It started with Corey Anderson.

“To me, I said, ‘This is the greatest heavyweight division on the planet.’ To me, it’s even greater than it was six months ago. When we signed ‘Rumble’ and then we took a ‘wait and see.’ Then when we signed Yoel, we said, ‘OK, now this is the tournament. How could we not do this tournament? We were getting bombarded online, digitally, socially.”

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With the signings of [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] occurring so close together – and the two fighters entering the same Bellator weight division – the widespread buzz was generated online about a potential showdown between the two. The voices of the fans were too loud for Coker to ignore.

“I said, ‘Not only are we going to do the tournament, we’re going to give the fans what they want to see, We’re going to do this fight. The first fight is going to be ‘Rumble’ vs. Yoel.’ Because I believe this. When the fight is there, you have to do it,” Coker said. “… If we waited and put these guys on opposite sides of the bracket, somebody gets hurt. Somebody can’t fight. Things happen in this sport. Things change quickly.

“I said, ‘Hey, let’s put them first.’ Because when a fight is there, in this sport, you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to do it. This is a fight the fans want to see. It’s going to be huge and it’s going to be a great way to launch our tournament in the first round.”

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Romero and Johnson will square off in a quarterfinal fight April 16 at Bellator 257. Also on the card, Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov will defend his title in a rematch against Phil Davis in another quarterfinal matchup.

One week earlier, the two other tournament quarterfinals, Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, will take place April 9 at Bellator 256.

All four quarterfinal fights will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

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Bellator announces 8-man light heavyweight grand prix featuring ‘Rumble’ vs. Romero

Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero will collide right off the bat with high stakes in Bellator’s latest grand prix.

Bellator on Tuesday announced that its next grand prix will be at light heavyweight, and it features a dream matchup right out of the gate.

The tournament is set to get underway April 9 at Bellator 256 with the first two quarterfinal matchups: [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. promotional newcomer [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag]. The other two quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for April 16 at Bellator 257, with champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag].

All four fights on both events will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and air on Showtime.

Courtesy of Bellator

Like previous Bellator tournaments, the title will be on the line in each round leading up to the final.

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The fight between Bader (27-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Machida (26-10 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is a rematch from 2012, when Bader knocked out Machida at UFC on FOX 4. For heavyweight champion Bader, 37, the grand prix marks the start of his quest to reclaim the 205-pound title he lost to Nemkov last August. Machida, 42, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak.

Anderson (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), 31, signed with Bellator last year after a lengthy run in the UFC. He made a successful promotional debut last November when he finished Melvin Manhoef in the second round at Bellator 251. Yagshimuradov (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), 31, fights out of Ukraine and will make his promotional debut riding an eight-fight winning streak after most recently competing in the ACA and ACB promotions.

For his first title defense, Nemkov (12-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) draws Davis (22-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in a rematch. Their November 2018 bout ended with Nemkov, 28, winning by split decision. Since then, Davis, 36, has reeled off three consecutive wins to earn a shot at claiming the belt for a second.

Ever since Johnson (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator late last year, fans have salivated at the possibility of a matchup between the two heavy hitters who have competed for UFC titles. Johnson, 36, is making his return to the cage for the first time since announcing his retirement after a loss to Daniel Cormier in April 2017. Romero, 43, has spent the past eight years competing at middleweight and will look to snap a three-fight losing streak as he moves up a division.

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Video: Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Zhang Weili star in UFC’s best faceoffs of 2020

Take a look back at the most intense UFC staredowns of the last 12 months, featuring Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Zhang Weili and more.

When it comes to covering fight week, few moments get the blood pumping and the anticipation soaring better than a great faceoff. The UFC squares off their fighters before every event for exactly that reason, and some of the sport’s biggest stars have developed their own styles as they use their faceoff opportunities to strike a final mental blow ahead of fight night.

Over the course of 2020, and despite the social distancing rules applied across the globe, we were still treated to a host of memorable faceoffs. To kick off the year – and before COVID-19 arrived – we saw the likes of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] get up close and personal at the UFC 246 ceremonial weigh-ins in January, while [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] and [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] exchanged words in a tense staredown ahead of their memorable strawweight title clash at UFC 248 in March.

The arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in March didn’t deprive us of some memorable faceoffs, however, with the fighters allowed to go nose to nose, with or without masks, after being subjected to multiple COVID-19 tests before and throughout fight week.

It meant we got to see debuting former KSW and EFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] go face-to-face with “The Joker,” aka [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag], ahead of UFC Fight Night 179 in October, while middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] enjoyed a pair of tense faceoffs as he locked eyes with rivals [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] ahead of his two successful title defenses in 2020.

Recap the best of the UFC’s 2020 faceoffs via the video above.

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