Yoel Romero will now face a more challenging opponent than Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in his next fight.
Yoel Romero, a veteran fighter with title challenges in UFC and Bellator, was originally set to debut in the new MMA promotion GFL against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Shogun Rua.
The GFL has signed several former UFC fighters who are past their prime, including Urijah Faber (45), Tony Ferguson (41), and Yoel Romero (47), who remains in excellent condition.
However, Romero’s GFL debut will not be against Rua.
Instead of Shogun Rua, ‘The Soldier of God’ will now face a potentially tougher opponent: former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi.
Romero confirmed that this fight, originally planned for light heavyweight, will now be at 185lbs (middleweight). Romero last competed in the middleweight division in 2020 against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248.
“Shogun is out. I am now moving to middleweight and will fight Gegard Mousasi,” Romero stated in an interview. “It’s scheduled for June 22 in New York City.”
“I’m not sure what happened with Shogun, but my manager called me last week with the news. He said Shogun is out, and I would be moving back to middleweight. I agreed, and then he told me my opponent would be Gegard Mousasi. I said, OK, let’s do it.”
Interestingly, Yoel Romero is also scheduled to compete in Mike Perry’s ‘Dirty Boxing’ promotion against Ras Hylton before his bout with Mousasi.
Romero secured a first-round knockout at Dirty Boxing’s first event in November. Dirty Boxing rules limit fighters to strikes with arms only, including elbows, punches, and slaps, which suits Romero’s aggressive fighting style.
Gegard Mousasi recently became a free agent after a disagreement with PFL following their acquisition of Bellator. Mousasi is entering the GFL after recent losses to Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards.
Mousasi’s most recent fight was in May 2023. He had a 9-3 record in the UFC before moving to Bellator in 2017, where he became a two-time champion. Mousasi has notable victories over fighters like Rory Macdonald, Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman, and Vitor Belfort.
Yoel Romero shares a similar level of competition history with Mousasi, having faced common opponents such as Thiago Santos, Chris Weidman, and Lyoto Machida.
