Yoel Romero’s Bellator debut came Saturday night in San Jose — and didn’t go exactly as he’d no doubt hoped.
Still firing heavy punches with bad intentions each time out, Romero was neutralized by the smart, effective game plan of Phil Davis — who kept Romero at a distance whenever possible, then fell back on his wrestling as the fight progressed.
While the end result was a split decision, it wasn’t close, but rather a one-sided win for ex-champ Davis. As for the 44-year old Romero, he had his moments, and fought a solid fight— far better than his last showing against UFC champ Israel Adesanya.
Full results from Saturday’s Bellator 266 at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA can be found below, along with a gallery of photo highlights.
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)
