All eyes were on former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero in his highly anticipated Bellator debut when he stepped in to face Phil Davis at Bellator 266. Romero had initially been forced to delay his debut due to not being cleared by doctors ahead of what would have been his appearance in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Some had thought he might never fight for the promotion as the details surrounding the doctor’s refusal were not clear.
But now, he’s made his debut and it was highly disappointing. The first round was pretty much just leg kicks and very little fun. Perhaps the extra weight was slowing down Romero but the fans were eager for action and it wasn’t happening. It was more of the same for round two and then all Davis in round three. Obviously, Twitter was not happy with Romero.
And Twitter were absolutely livid when the judges scored the fight for Romero after getting absolutely dominated for three rounds.
Reactions to Yoel Romero in his Bellator debut
Thankfully Davis got his hand raised and we’ll have to wait and see what’s next for Romero after a performance like that.
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Bellator 266 Results
Bellator 266 main card
- Light Heavyweight: Phil Davis def. Yoel Romero by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
- Welterweight: Neiman Gracie def. Mark Lemminger by TKO (elbows and punches) at 1:27, R1
- Catchweight (129.2 lbs): DeAnna Bennett def. Alejandra Lara by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26)
- Lightweight: Saul Rogers def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26)
- Light Heavyweight: Ben Parrish def. Christian Edwards by KO (punches) at 0:38, R1
Bellator 266 preliminary card
- Light Heavyweight: Alex Polizzi def. Grant Neal by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
- Middleweight: Anthony Adams def. Khalid Murtazaliev by unanimous decision(29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
- Bantamweight: Bobby Seronio III def. Socrates Hernandez by unanimous decision (29–27, 29–26, 29–26)
- Catchweight (175 lbs): Abraham Vaesau def. Albert Gonzales by KO (punches) at 2:17, R1
- Welterweight: Shane Keefe def. Rhalan Gracie by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
- Flyweight: Edwin De Los Santos def. Jon Adams by TKO (body kick and punches) at 3:29, R1
- Catchweight (130 lbs): Jesse Delgado def. Joshua Dillon by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
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Fighters and writers in an uproar over Yoel Romero vs. Phil Davis decision