Yoel Romero’s long-awaited Bellator debut did not go as planned, as he dropped a split decision to Phil Davis. However despite this loss, Scott Coker still has faith that Yoel can turn things around and get on the right track.
Romero was 1-4 in his last five when he was released by the UFC and signed to Bellator. After an injury delayed his promotional debut, he finally stepped up to face Davis, ultimately dropping a pretty clean decision.
Despite this, Bellator President Scott Coker still feels confident in Yoel’s ability to turn things around. Speaking in the post-fight press conference, Scott praised Phil for his win, but says that another fight could see a better performance from the Olympic wrestler.
“I think that Phil is an amazing fighter, as we all know, and he just delivered another solid performance.He fought smart. Yoel is still dangerous. If he hits you, it’s over. I think Phil probably felt that power early on, so he tried to stick and move a little bit. He took him down a couple times,” Coker said (h/t MMAJunkie).
“I loved the fight. I thought that it was a great fight. I’m telling you, Yoel will be back. This is, to me, his comeback fight. It’s been how long since he fought? We give him another fight, and he’ll be really, really ready for the next one.
“… Anybody that can do what he does,” Coker continued. “Again, give this guy another camp and another big fight, I think he’s going to come in and start throwing bombs on people. He’s a dangerous individual. You guys saw it. One punch, and it’s going to be over. He’s that guy.”
Scott Coker Considering 5-Round Main Events
One of the apparent issues that Yoel Romero faced in this fight with Phil Davis, was that he apparently thought the fight was five rounds instead of three. He even seemed confused when the fight ended, saying that he was apparently prepared for ten more minutes.
This led to the question being brought up to Scott Coker, about the possibility of Bellator having five round non-title main events like the UFC does. He says that while this is not something that they are looking at in the immediate future, it will likely happen at one point or another.
“We just didn’t want to make a change. I think maybe at some point we’ll see it. I just know that once we make that decision, it’s not going to go back,” Coker said.
“I heard that was something that was in (Romero’s) mind, too. I can’t blame him. He’s been fighting five rounds a lot in his career. This was a three-round fight, and maybe next time he’ll be in a five-round fight.”
What do you make of these comments from Scott Coker? Do you want to see five round main events in Bellator?
