Bellator 266 brings with it the long-awaited promotional debut of Yoel Romero.
Originally scheduled to be part of the light heavyweight grand prix, taking on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Romero’s debut was scrapped earlier this summer when he failed to pass medicals. Whatever the underlying cause, he appears to have made it through this fight week, and will face Phil Davis atop the Bellator 266 card on Saturday.
A win against an ex-champ in Davis would be huge for “The Soldier of God,” who is moving up from middleweight, where he challenged for gold on several occasions in the UFC. For Phil Davis, a win over a former UFC title challenger could help him jump back into the mix at 205lbs, where he has two losses to current light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov.
Former title challengers Neiman Gracie and Alejandra Lara are also expected to appear Saturday. As are light heavyweight prospects Christian Edwards, Grant Neal, and Alex Polizzi (the latter two facing one another).
Weigh-ins get underway at 12PM ET, with a ceremonial weigh-in commencing at 2PM. Check below for results and the ceremonial weigh-in video.
There were a couple of hiccups at Bellator’s early weigh-ins on Friday. DeAnnna Bennett came in heavy for her fight with Alejandra Lara — the second straight fight for which Bennett has missed weight. Eddie Abasolo did not weigh in for his fight against Art Hernandez, leading to its cancellation. Earlier in the morning, Bellator announced that Erik Gunha was out of his fight against Bobby Seronio III. He was replaced by Socrates Hernandez, whose fight with Pedro Juarez had been scrapped the previous evening.
Bellator 266: Davis vs. Romero Weigh-In Results
Main Card (10PM ET, Showtime)
Light heavyweight: Phil Davis (206) vs. Yoel Romero (204.5)
Welterweight: Neiman Gracie (170.6) vs. Mark Lemminger (169.9)
Women’s flyweight: DeAnna Bennett (129.2)* vs. Alejandra Lara (125.2)
Lightweight: Georgi Karakhanyan (155.6) vs. Saul Rogers (155.7)
Light heavyweight: Christian Edwards (204.3) vs. Ben Parrish (205.6)
Preliminary Card (Youtube/Cageside Press, 7PM ET)
Light heavyweight: Grant Neal (204.1) vs. Alex Polizzi (204.9)
Middleweight: Anthony Adams (185.3) vs. Khalid Murtazaliev (185.3)
175lb Catchweight: Albert Gonzales (175) vs. Abraham Vaesau (175)
Bantamweight: Socrates Hernandez (135.9) vs. Bobby Seronio III (134.5)
Welterweight: Rhalan Gracie (171) vs. Shane Keefe (169.1)
160lb Catchweight: Eddie Abasolo ()** vs. Art Hernandez (168)
Flyweight: Jon Adams (125.4) vs. Edwin De Los Santos (125.3)
130lb catchweight: Jesse Delgado (129.5) vs. Joshua Dillon (130)
* Benett misses flyweight limit by 3.3lbs on first attempt, 3.2lbs on second attempt
** Abasolo did not weigh in, and his fight with Art Hernandez has been cancelled. First reported by MMA Junkie.
