"That’s what happens when your job is 90% head trauma" - Fans wonder whether Yoel Romero is showing effects of CTE after Cuban fighter barks inside cage following KO win at Bellator 285

MMA fans have questioned whether or not Yoel Romero is suffering from CTE after the Cuban fighter barked at the camera following his stunning KO win at Bellator 285 this weekend.

The 45-year-old fought in just his third fight for Bellator since leaving the UFC in 2020. Romero was 1-1 heading into the bout with Melvin Manhoef and the fight looked to be going to the judges' scorecards. However, the Cuban landed multiple grounded elbows that laid Manhoef out flat in the third round.

After the fight and seemingly full of adrenaline, 'Soldier of God' ran to the camera and barked like a dog in celebration.

Check out the clip below (via @hektic_one on Twitter):

"relax bro, he doesn't bite. he just wants to sniff your hand" https://t.co/NhIIv605rk

Fans have reacted to the barking from Romero, with one suggesting it's unsurprising considering his job involves taking blows to the head:

"That's what happens when your job is 90% head trauma lol"

@leyva_jay @hektic_one That’s what happens when your job is 90% head trauma lol

Another fan joked that the Cuban fighter has a "Beware of the Dog" sign at home but doesn't own a dog:

"This man has a sign on his house "Beware of the Dog". This man doesn't have a dog."

@hektic_one This man has a sign on his house "Beware of the Dog". This man doesn't have a dog.

Twitter user @LilMayushii decided Yoel Romero's nickname 'Soldier of God' needs updating:

"Yoel 'Soldier of Dog' Romero'"

@hektic_one Yoel "Soldier of Dog" Romero

Check out more fan reactions to the video below:

@hektic_one Soldier of Dog

@hektic_one God I miss this man

@hektic_one When I tell you I am FUCKING CRYING 😭😭😭

@hektic_one Hey bb can u pause ur online game and throw the trash
Me:

@hektic_one pitbull mode activated

@hektic_one You could never lock me in there with him

@hektic_one This motherfucker is 45 and he looks like that…Jesus

@hektic_one The Walking Dead should cast him as a super zombie.

@hektic_one Grown man barking like a dog 🤦🏻‍♂️

@hektic_one @clangford4 @JayDowdall I’m pretty sure he will be drug tested after 😂😂😂

@hektic_one Steroids look fun

@hektic_one Romero finally hitting his prime…

Yoel Romero slams Israel Adesanya and claims he spent their fight "running" from him

Yoel Romero recently hit back at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after the Nigerian-born New Zealander criticized Romero's performance in their title fight at UFC 248.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' discussed his title defense against Romero, which was one of the most anticipated middleweight bouts in recent memory. Fans expected a war from start to finish but were ultimately left disappointed when neither Adesanya nor Romero looked anything close to their best.

Adesanya described the unanimous decision win against Romero as one of the lowest points of his career due to the backlash he received for his performance.

#UFC 🚨| Qui se rappelle de ce moment lunaire pendant le combat entre Adesanya et Romero ? 😳

https://t.co/Nc2kOHaqms

Yoel Romero has now responded after appearing on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour. The 45-year-old said:

"Let's get things straight. He [Israel Adesanya] called me like, 'Nobody wants to fight the beast [Yoel Romero], I want to face the beast, and not only do I want to face the beast, I want to retire the beast.' He starts to fight [UFC 248] and feels my power... He starts running away from me. I'm not going to start chasing after you. That's not what I'm going to do. The UFC was pampering him and basically what they wanted was for me to go running after him. No! I'm not going to do that."

Catch the full episode here: