It’s official: Yoel Romero will face fellow free agent signee Anthony Johnson in the pair’s promotional debut for Bellator MMA. That debut, highly anticipated among MMA fans practically salivating over the match-up, will come on April 16 at Bellator 257.
For Romero, the fight will be his first in roughly a decade at 205lbs. His last light heavyweight fight came prior to his UFC run — and the move back up has been a hot topic ever since Romero signed with Bellator. In reality, it was talked about even during Romero’s UFC tenure, given he missed weight for two separate title fights in 2018.
One question posed to “The Soldier of God” this week was whether he had shied away from the idea of moving to light heavyweight during his time in the UFC. But to Romero, it was more about staying the course than avoiding 205lbs.
“I think, I come in the UFC at 185, I need to finish my [commitment]. My [weight class] is at 185,” Romero said during a media session on Tuesday, following Bellator’s announcement of their upcoming light heavyweight grand prix, which Romero vs. Johnson will be part of. “I want to take the belt at 185, and then, when you finish your work, you can go up. Now, I come to Bellator, that’s the new [weight class].”
While it’s a fresh start in a new promotion and a new weight class for Romero, he hasn’t left middleweight entirely behind him. “I’m still thinking about the belt at 185 in Bellator. Now, I’m coming for the [belt at] 205. When I finish here, I want to go down and take the belt too,” he explained. “That’s what I’m thinking. That’s my plan.”
In preparation for his move to 205lbs, Romero has been training with heavyweights and light heavyweights. But he hasn’t put on any extra weight. “Now, my weight is 210, 212lbs. The same as when I’m not training, when I [was] in the UFC.”
The day of the fight, said Romero, he expects to be no more than 215 to 218lbs, he added.
Watch the full Bellator on Showtime media scrum with Yoel Romero above. Romero makes his promotional debut as part of the light heavyweight grand prix on April 16 at Bellator 257.
