Scott Coker explains why Bellator passed on signing Yoel Romero for now

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Scott Coker respects everything Yoel Romero has accomplished in his career, but the Bellator president is happy with his current roster.

Romero (13-5 MMA), a multitime UFC middleweight title challenger, was recently released from his UFC deal and became a free agent. Though Coker said he’s always in communication with Romero’s management team, he passed on the opportunity to bring in the veteran competitor.

“We got a call from (his) agent, and originally we just passed,” Coker said. “If you look at our roster and how many fighters we have on this roster and how many fights we’re going to do, there are only so many TV slots. We have kind of gotten away from signing the OGs we used to sign back in the day. That’s because guys like A.J. (McKee) are coming up. Ilima-Lei (Macfarlane) is developing into a main event fighter.

“We’ve basically built from the bottom up. We have a lot of great fighters that are on the roster that we’ve built over the last four to five years. We were kind of headed in a different direction. I was happy with the way the roster is right now not adding anybody.”

ESPN initially reported Bellator’s lack of interest in Romero – a claim manager Malki Kawa seemingly disputed on Twitter shortly thereafter. While Coker said the company doesn’t have any interest at the moment, that doesn’t mean the door is permanently closed.

“The dialogue will always be open,” Coker said. “Things change quickly in this sport, so you never know, but the initial thought was that I talked to my guys and they thought it was better for us to pass.”

Romero, who is No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, has lost recent decisions to Paulo Costa and Adesanya, giving him a 1-4 record leading up to his release.

Although he didn’t capture a title, Romero still left his mark in the UFC. He has the third-most knockouts in middleweight history (seven), the third-most knockdowns (10), is one of two fighters in UFC history with multiple flying knee finishes, along with other accolades.

Bellator returns Thursday with Bellator 254, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.