Bellator 280: Alex Polizzi Plans To Wear Down Yoel Romero And Eventually Get The Finish

Fight Yoel Romero on short notice in Paris? No problem. Alex Polizzi is up for the challenge.

Polizzi returns for his second fight of 2022, at Bellator 280 this Friday, on less than two weeks’ notice. Oh, and less than three months ago, he had his nose shattered by a flying knee by Jose Augusto Azevedo.

Nevertheless, the Wisconsin fighter who now fights out of Las Vegas will fight MMA Legend Romero, and he didn’t even think twice.

“I’ve said before that I don’t like to do a lot of research on my opponents, but to not know Yoel Romero is sticking your head under a rock,” Polizzi said during Bellator 280 media day. “I was really excited. My manager initially came to me and said, ‘they’re looking for a fill-in for Paris; we’re not sure of the opponent yet,’ but after a few more texts, they revealed that it was Yoel. It’s a short chance opportunity that I know some people have been saying, ‘why is he taking that?’ Yoel Romero, in Paris. How do you pass that opportunity up?”

With Romero being an Olympic wrestler, Polizzi is very excited to see how his own wrestling matches up with him. “It means a lot coming from a wrestling background. I’m really excited to be facing an opponent like Yoel Romero, who has a great pedigree,” Polizzi said. “[With my opponent being] a wrestler, it makes me excited because he is not going to move away, and we can get to the fun part right away.”

Polizzi is never really big on predictions; however, he feels like he will be able to wear down Romero and eventually get his second consecutive finish.

“Whilst he’s been keeping an inhuman amount of athleticism to stay in the game as long as he has, I’m going to be trying to work on him and wear down that gas tank, make him really feel my pressure on him, and I’m just going to wear and tear on him until an opportunity presents itself to maybe look for a submission or an opening to finish the fight.”

Polizzi vs. Romero is the co-main event of Bellator 280 in Paris, France, this Friday, May 6, 2022. on Showtime. Watch the rest of Alex Polizzi’s media day interview above. More coverage can be found below.