Former UFC fighter Yoel Romero's manager claims reports of Bellator and PFL rejecting him are baseless
Malki Kawa, the agent of former UFC Middleweight contender Yoel Romero refuted claims that the Cuban has been rejected by UFC competitors Bellator MMA and PFL. Taking to Twitter, Kawa called a report suggesting the same, a 'lie'.
Romero has been a perennial contender in the UFC Middleweight division and his release from the company came as a big surprise to many fans. Romero's last fight was for the title against the Champion Israel Adesanya.
Yoel Romero not rejected by PFL and Bellator claims agent
Yoel 'The Soldier of God' Romero has been one of the standout fighters in the division since he made his debut in the UFC. An Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling, his raw power and impressive physical capabilities made him one of the most avoided fighters in the division.
Speaking of Romero's release, UFC President Dana White said:
"We’re going to go through some serious cuts here at the end of the year. Probably going to have 60 cuts coming up before the first of the year. Yoel has lost four of his last five (fights), he’s 44 years old, our roster is very inflated right now. So we’re going to have some big cuts coming before the end of the year. You’re going to see a lot of names going here in the next several weeks."
The Soldier of God is without a win since 2018 when he knocked out former UFC Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. However, his losses against Robert Whittaker (twice), Paulo Costa and Adesanya all went to the judge's scorecards.
Although now 43-years-old, the Cuban was not obviously on the wane like other competitors of his age. It will be interesting to see if other promotions use this opportunity to sign a bonafide star. Especially at Bellator, who have an impressive Champion in Gegard Mousasi.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's David Feldman admitted the promotion is interested in signing the Middleweight:
"We are very interested. How could we not be? He has BKFC written all over him. He would be a welcome addition, we will see if we can make it happen."