Yoel Romero is taking off the gloves.
No, the former UFC and Bellator title challenger is not retiring. Instead, Romero is heading to BKFC to test his hands in bareknuckle boxing competition. The 48-year-old fighter was announced as an addition to the promotion’s roster Thursday by co-owner Conor McGregor at the Champions Summit press conference in Hollywood, Fla.
Romero exited the UFC following a middleweight title challenge loss against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 in March 2020. He then made the jump to Bellator, where he put together a 3-2 record, including a light heavyweight title challenge against Vadim Nemkov. Romero’s run in Bellator concluded at PFL vs. Bellator, where he picked up a unanimous decision win over fellow former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos, who was also announced as a signing to BKFC.
Most recently, Romero has competed under the custom rules of Dirty Boxing. In two fights, he stopped Duane Crespo last November and Ras Hylton in March.
In addition to the signings of Romero and Santos, BKFC also announced the addition of Aspen Ladd, who went 3-2 under the PFL and Bellator banners after exiting the UFC in 2022, and Derek Brunson, who made one appearance in PFL after his UFC exit in 2023.
