At long last, Yoel Romero was set to make his promotional debut at Bellator 266 on Saturday. And while it wasn’t Anthony “Rumble” Johnson opposite him in San Jose, Phil Davis was a suitable replacement.
A solid card at the SAP Center sat below the Davis vs. Romero main event. Former welterweight title challenger Neiman Gracie returned, looking to shake off a loss to Jason Jackson. Opposite him, new contract freshly in hand, was Mark Lemminger, who to date had posted a 2-2 record in the promotion.
Just ahead of Gracie vs. Lemminger was former women’s flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara, taking on Invicta and UFC/TUF alum DeAnna Bennett. Ahead of that one, Bennett had missed weight — her second time coming in heavy in two straight bouts.
But the main event was the clear draw, with Romero moving up in weight to face a former champion. A win could lead him to the title picture not just at light heavyweight, but his old stomping ground at 185lbs as well.
Full results from Saturday’s Bellator 266 card can be found below. The preliminary card live stream is available above, and where available, the official main card live stream is below.
Bellator 266: Davis vs. Romero Results
Main Card (Showtime/Cageside Press, 10PM ET)
Phil Davis def. Yoel Romero split deision (30-27, 28-29, 30-26)
Neiman Gracie def. Mark Lemminger by TKO, Round 1, 1:27
DeAnna Bennett def. Alejandra Lara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Saul Rogers def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Ben Parrish def. Christian Edwards by knockout, Round 1, 0:38
Preliminary Card (Youtube/Cageside Press, 7PM ET)
Alex Polizzi def. Grant Neal by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
Anthony Adams def. Khalid Murtazaliev by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
Bobby Seronio III def. Socrates Hernandez by unanimous decision (29–27, 29–26, 29–26)
Abraham Vaesau def. Albert Gonzales by knockout, Round 1, 2:17
Shane Keefe def. Rhalan Gracie by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
Edwin De Los Santos def. Jon Adams by TKO (body kick/punches), Round 1, 3:29
Jesse Delgado def. Joshua Dillon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
