Midnight Mania Highlights! Nemkov Defends Title, Batters Romero

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Earlier tonight (Fri. June 16, 2023), Vadim Nemkov sought to defend his Bellator Light Heavyweight crown opposite Yoel Romero in the main event of Bellator 297 from inside Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. In an interesting fight, Nemkov retained his title.

From the first bell, the champion was aggressive. It didn’t take long for the Russian athlete to find the timing on his right hand, which landed high and low quickly. He also hammered away with kicks, doing good damage to a fighter that isn’t easy to hit.

Romero stayed tight defensively, but he didn’t throw a whole lot back in the first couple rounds. He was falling behind on the cards and certainly needed some of that classic third round magic to get back in the fight. He nearly got it! Romero landed a heavy counter shot and finished the round hunting for a submission in a wild turn of events.

Unfortunately for the Cuban, it wasn’t enough. Nemkov survived and picked up where he left off, badly damaging Romero in the fourth. Romero did bounce back for a relatively strong fifth frame, but it was far from enough for him to capture gold.

Check out the full fight highlights below:

Result: Nemkov via unanimous decision

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