Yoel Romero has a new opponent for Bellator 280.
With Melvin Manhoef out, Romero (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) now meets rising light heavyweight Alex Polizzi (10-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in a three-round co-main event.
The card takes place May 6 at AccorHotels Arena in Paris with the main card streaming on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
A Bellator official Saturday confirmed the change to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Dutch outlet Redactie Telesport. The report cited an injury for Manhoef, which it says he sustained in a recent apprehension of three alleged attempted burglars.
The bout was expected to be Manhoef’s final one for Bellator, promotion president Scott Coker told MMA Junkie in an interview prior to its cancellation.
Romero, 45, signed with Bellator in 2021 and debuted in September of that year against fellow former UFC fighter Phil Davis. The matchup served as the Bellator 266 main event, in which Davis defeated Romero via unanimous decision. After the fight, Romero voiced frustration because he thought the fight was a five-round main event, rather than three. Bellator has since made all main events five rounds, regardless of title status.
Polizzi, 30, enters his short-notice Bellator 280 opportunity on a three-fight winning streak. A former LFA champion, Polizzi has defeated the likes of former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho and fellow contender Grant Neal among others since he signed with the promotion in 2020. He most recently competed at Bellator 276 in March when he defeated Jose Augusto via submission to cap off an exciting, back-and-forth brawl.
With the change, the Bellator 280 lineup includes:
- Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo – for heavyweight championship
- Alex Polizzi vs. Yoel Romero
- Lorenz Larkin vs. Kyle Stewart
- Davion Franklin vs. TBA
- Soren Bak vs. Charlie Leary
- Gavin Hughes vs. Yves Landu
- Pedro Carvalho vs. Piotr Niedzielski
- Gregory Babene vs. Mike Shipman
- Thibault Gouti vs. Lewis Long
- Fabacary Diatta def. Jordan Barton
- Joel Kouadja vs. Nicolo Solli
- Lucie Bertaud vs. Katarzyna Sadura
- Bourama Camara vs. Victor Verchere
- Mathieu Ducios vs. Youcef Ouabbas
