Yoel Romero’s combat sports career dates back to the 90s where he made a name for himself quickly as a standout freestyle wrestler. Born in Cuba, Romero represented his country at the FILA Wrestling World Championships where he became a world champion in 1999. He made it to the highest levels in the sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics where he achieved the silver medal and again in 2004 where he placed fourth.

In 2007, Romero defected from Cuba to Germany and began his mixed martial arts career with great success at 5-0 on the regional scene. He signed to Strikeforce late in the promotion’s days and won his single bout with a flying knee in round one. After signing to the UFC he went 8-0 defeating legends like Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman before taking his first high level loss to Robert Whittaker. That streak wasn’t without controversy as a lot of people feel that Tim Kennedy was cheated out of a win when Romero was slow to get off the stool in between rounds. He found his way to a title fight against many people’s GOAT of the middleweight division, Israel Adesanya but lost a lackluster decision. After struggling against the very greatest of the UFC middleweight division, Romero went to fight in Bellator and the PFL and despite his age, did exceptionally well.

Yoel Romero’s physique is often baffling to fans as a now 48-year-old he remains in incredible shape and makes his BKFC debut at heavyweight looking bigger and scarier than ever. He fights Theo Doukas at BKFC 80 in Hollywood Florida on September 12, 2025. After an immaculate run in MMA with a record of 16-7 overall, we get to see him take off the gloves and land punches bone on bone!