Has Yoel Romero retired from MMA? Here’s what the former UFC title challenger is up to these days
Yoel Romero has been competing in mixed martial arts for over 14 years but has he retired from the sport outright?
It's an understandable question for some to have, considering not just Romero's tenure in the sport. But also the fact that the 46-year-old was an Olympic qualifying wrestler before even beginning his career in MMA.
The quick answer to the titular question is a resounding no, as 'The Soldier of God' will once again step into the cage a few weeks from now.
Romero will clash with Thiago Santos on Febr. 24 as part of the PFL vs Bellator crossover event. This light heavyweight bout is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at Kingdom Arena.
Romero versus Santos represents a clash between a former Bellator title challenger and a former PFL title challenger, respectively, leading into this pay-per-view champ vs champ main card effort. Both men have also contended for gold in their own weight divisions during their respective UFC tenures (Santos at 205 pounds and Romero at 185 pounds).
Check out a sampling of the response to Yoel Romero vs Thiago Santos below
Yoel Romero and his pedigree within MMA
The Cuban native entered mixed martial arts on the German and Poland regional circuits with a brief stop in Strikeforce before finding his way into the UFC.
Yoel Romero first entered the octagon almost 11 years ago and carved out quite a path to multiple bids for gold at 185 pounds. 2020 would mark the last UFC bout for Romero, who crossed over to Bellator MMA thereafter.
Under the UFC banner, Romero would score significant wins over several names like Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, Lyoto Machida, Tim Kennedy, and Derek Brunson, to mention but a few.
A pair of defeats on points to Phil Davis and Vadim Nemkov, respectively, bookended a pair of wins against Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef. Both BMMA wins came by way of strikes in the third round during his four-fight Bellator stint.
His last fight was that aforementioned Nemkov contest, which saw Romero make his failed bid for gold at Bellator 297 last June.