Romero Fails Physical, Out Of Bellator 258

Bellator 258 just suffered a huge blow to its stacked slate of fights on May 7 because Yoel Romero’s highly-anticipated bout against Anthony Johnson has been scrapped. According to a statement from Bellator MMA, the 44 year-old “Soldier of God” failed his pre-fight physical and was deemed unfit for combat.

Romero vs. Johnson was set to be the final opening round matchup of the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. The winner of that now-scratched fight would have faced division champion Vadim Nemkov in July for a chance to win the belt and reach the finals to compete for the $1 million prize.

The promotion is currently seeking a replacement for Romero.

Previously, Bellator had pegged Julius Anglickas as an alternate for the tournament following his big win over Gregory Mallard at Bellator 257, so he seems to be the frontrunner to fill the void, though nothing has been made official at this time.

Bellator 258 is set to be headlined by a Bantamweight title fight with division king Juan Archuleta taking on Sergio Pettis. Also, Michael Page will face Derek Anderson while Valerie Loureda returns to fight Hannah Guy.

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