Yoel Romero will look to notch his first Bellator win when he meets a fellow veteran in May.
Romero, a former UFC middleweight title challenger, is set to fight Melvin Manhoef in the co-main event of Bellator Paris on May 6 at Accor Arena, the promotion announced Thursday.
In his return to light heavyweight, Romero (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) fell short in his promotional debut when he was edged out by Phil Davis last September at Bellator 266. Romero, 44, now has lost four in a row, with his last win a knockout of Luke Rockhold in February 2018.
Manhoef (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has won two of his past three bouts since moving back up to 205 pounds. The 45-year-old is coming off a TKO loss to Corey Anderson in the main event of Bellator 251 in November 2020. Prior to that, the former two-time title challenger scored wins over Kent Kauppinen and a first-round TKO of Yannick Bahati.
With the addition, the current Bellator Paris lineup includes:
- Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo – for heavyweight title
- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoel Romero
- Soren Bak vs. Saul Rogers
- Gavin Hughes vs. Yves Landu
