Vadim Nemkov extends his championship defense record by defeating Yoel Romero at Bellator 297
By Chad Porto
Vadim Nemkov came into Bellator 297 looking to retain his light heavyweight championship against Yoel Romero, one of the most feared light heavyweights in modern mixed martrial arts history. The winner would likely get the unpleasant task of facing off with Corey Anderson, who won earlier in the night.
The first round saw Nemkov keep Romero at bay, using a lot of his kicks to keep distance. Kicks weren't all that Nemkov was throwing, as Romero would end up eating a right hand from the champ that sent him spiraling into the cage wall.
Nemkov would open up the second round attacking Romero's body, lining up a kick, and a jab to his lower right abdomen. The strikes to the body ended up forcing Romero to give up ground, simply to avoid the body kicks that Nemkov continued to land. The Russain was able to keep Romero on his heels all second round, resulting in next-to-no offense from Romero.
Romero was able to start off the third round with a kick that caught Nemkov off-balanced, but the champion responded with another set of kicks that continued to keep Romoero off-balanced and disjointed. Nemkov would land a few heavy rights that rocked Romero and forced him into the cage, where Nemkov teed off on him. Romero would try to sucker Nemkov in by acting hurt, which didn't work, but he would end up catching Nemkov. Romero would try for a submission but the champion would survive the fight.
Yoel Romero and Vadim Nemkov ramped up the excitement in the third round of Bellator 297
Romero would start off the fourth round with his new bizarre style, wobbling around the cage like an old-fashioned top. If he was doing it to avoid getting jabbed in the face, it was unsuccessful. Eventually, the punishment from Nemkov would force Romero to be more traditional in his stance. By the end of the fourth round, Romero's face was swollen significantly due to Nemkov's constant attacks.
Romero would try and turn it on in the fifth and final round of Bellator 297's main event, but by this point, Romero didn't have enough on his punches to do any real damage. So instead of swinging wildly, Romero would get Nemkov on the ground after a takedown, but despite being on top for over a minute, he was unable to get the Hail Mary to win.
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