HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – As expected, Yoel Romero chose violence for his bareknuckle boxing debut.
The former two-time UFC title challenger violently put away Theo Doukas in a heavyweight bout on the main card of BKFC 80, which took place on Friday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The official result was ruled a TKO at the 1:56 mark of Round 2.
Romero knocked down Doukas, who was also making his BKFC debut, a total of three times. Bloodied from a cut on his forehead, Doukas was unable to continue after the third knockdown, ruling the finish a TKO win. You can watch Romero’s violent finish in the video below:
Romero continues a successful spell in combat sports since departing from the UFC in 2020.
“The Soldier of God” has competed eight times since leaving the octagon, going 6-2 across multiple promotions and fighting disciplines. Romero has fought for Bellator, PFL, and nos most recently Dirty Boxing Championship, and BKFC. His only two defeats came in Bellator against Phil Davis and Vadim Nemkov at light heavyweight.
Romeo told MMA Junkie ahead of his BKFC debut that he intends to continue fighting in MMA, and his BKFC contract allows him to do so. Romero has yet to sign with an MMA promotion since leaving the PFL. His most recent MMA bout was in February 2024, when he outpointed former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos under the PFL banner.
