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Former UFC title contender Yoel Romero is stepping back into the cage this summer, making his Global Fight League (GFL) debut against Gegard Mousasi. The two seasoned warriors are set to clash on June 22 in New York, marking a major bout for the newly launched promotion.
Romero, known as "The Soldier of God," hasn’t fought in MMA since February of last year, when he secured a unanimous decision victory over Thiago Santos on the undercard of PFL vs. Bellator. At 47 years old, the Cuban powerhouse has managed to win three of his last four fights, proving that age is just a number for him.
However, his combat career hasn’t slowed down. After a brief break from MMA, Romero transitioned to boxing, signing with Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing promotion and knocking out Duane Crespo in his debut last November. He’s also preparing for a return to the boxing ring later this month against Bellator veteran Ras Hylton in Florida.
Romero originally expected to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua in his GFL debut, but the Brazilian was unexpectedly replaced by Gegard Mousasi. Despite initially preparing to compete at 205 pounds, Romero has no issue cutting back down to middleweight for this fight.
“Shogun is out,” Romero confirmed during an interview with Submission Radio. “Now, I move to middleweight again and I will fight Gegard Mousasi. It’s June 22nd, in New York. I don’t know what happened to Shogun, but my manager called me last week and said, ‘Hey Yoel, it’s bad news.”
His response? Classic Romero.
“I [asked] what happened. He said, ‘Shogun is out, and now you have to move to middleweight again’. I said, ‘Okay, beautiful, I’m ready. Who is this guy?’ He said Gegard Mousasi. Okay, we’ve got it.”
Mousasi, a former Bellator and Strikeforce champion, will also be making his GFL debut in this fight. Both veterans bring a wealth of experience, skill, and knockout power, making this an intriguing battle for fight fans. With Romero’s relentless explosiveness and Mousasi’s technical precision, this bout could be one of the biggest fights in GFL’s early history.
As June 22 approaches, anticipation builds for what promises to be a must-watch showdown in New York.