Yoel Romero

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Romero and the second or maternal family name is Palacio.
Yoel Romero
Romero in 2008
BornYoel Romero Palacio
(1977-04-30) April 30, 1977 (age 47)[1]
Pinar del Río, Cuba
Other namesSoldier of God
ResidenceMiami, Florida, U.S.
NationalityCuban
American
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionLight heavyweight
(2009–2011, 2021–present)
Middleweight
(2013–2020)
Reach73 in (185 cm)[2]
StyleWrestling
Fighting out ofCoconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
TeamAmerican Top Team
WrestlingOlympic Freestyle Wrestling[3]
Years active2009–present (MMA)
1997–2005, 2007 (freestyle wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins16
By knockout13
By decision3
Losses7
By knockout1
By decision6
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Cuba
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games - 1 -
World Championships 1 2 2
World Cup 3 2 1
Pan American Games 1 - 1
Pan American Championships 5 - -
Total 10 5 4
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 85 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Ankara 85 kg
Silver medal – second place 2002 Tehran 84 kg
Silver medal – second place 2005 Budapest 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Tehran 85 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Sofia 85 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1998 Stillwater 85 kg
Gold medal – first place 2000 Fairfax 85 kg
Gold medal – first place 2005 Tashkent 84 kg
Silver medal – second place 1999 Spokane 85 kg
Silver medal – second place 2004 Baku 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Stillwater 85 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2003 Santo Domingo 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Winnipeg 85 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Winnipeg 85 kg
Gold medal – first place 2001 Santo Domingo 85 kg
Gold medal – first place 2002 Maracaibo 84 kg
Gold medal – first place 2004 Guatemala City 96 kg
Gold medal – first place 2007 San Salvador 84 kg

Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler.[4] He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA.[5] Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and was a challenger for the UFC Middleweight Championship in March 2020.[6]

As a freestyle wrestler, Romero competed at 85 kilograms, where he was the 1999 World Champion (five-time medalist at the World Championships), the 2000 Olympic Silver medalist, a three-time World Cup winner (six-time medalist), the 2003 Pan American Games Gold medalist (bronze medalist in 1999) and a five-time Pan American Champion.[7][8]

  1. ^ "ESPN Profile: Yoel Romero".
  2. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  3. ^ "Yoel Romero - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  4. ^ "Yoel Romero ("Soldier of God") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  5. ^ "Sources: Healthy Romero to make Bellator debut". ESPN. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  6. ^ Taylor, Tom. "Yoel Romero Opens Up on Leaving UFC and New Lease on Life in Bellator". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  7. ^ Gallo, Ed (2019-08-16). "Wrestling for MMA: Yoel Romero". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  8. ^ "Yoel ROMERO". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-10-04.