Yoel Romero: “I’m going to fight MMA with him. MMA includes everything”

DUBLIN, IRELAND – Just days away from another historic event in Dublin, Ireland, the fighters of BELLATOR MMA 285: Henderson vs. Queally spoke to the media today ahead of their fights scheduled for this Friday, September 23 at the 3Arena.

Headlined by a five-round main event between No. 3-ranked Benson “Smooth” Henderson (29-11) and hometown hero and No. 5-ranked Peter “The Showstopper” Queally (13-6-1), BELLATOR 285 is supported by a delicious cast of MMA’s top talent, with legends of the sport, local stars and international challengers hoping to crash the Irish party.

The co-main event features No. 8-ranked light heavyweight veteran Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero (14-6) taking on another legend of the sport in Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (32-15-1).

The main card will air live in the US on SHOWTIME at 4 pm ET/1 pm ET.

Overseas, the main card will be broadcast live in the UK on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer and in Ireland on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Sport from 9pm BST. The preliminary card will be broadcast live in the UK on BBC iPlayer and in Ireland on Virgin Media from 6pm BST.

YOEL ROMERO: NO.7 RATED BELLATOR LIGHTWEIGHT: “I’m excited to be here. It’s a great place. It’s been one of my dreams to come here, especially with the history of the fighting Irish. Simply great warriors from Ireland. I’m excited to be here. It’s just a reminder of a great history and warriors that come from Ireland… I feel very honored and proud to represent Cuba, and I feel that everyone should be proud to represent the country that they are from. I appreciate the fans. I carry them on my back, and it feels like a great honor to move forward, and I’m motivated to represent them.” “Everything has a beginning and an end, and I only wish him the best after his career is over as he continues to be a father. Hopefully, he’ll be able to use everything the sport has given him to get on with his life.” “One of the things I want to thank Conor for is that he has been helping me to be here in Ireland. Many thanks to Conor. He offered me cars, he offered me his gym and he invited me to his restaurant, and I really appreciate that from a fighting partner. After the fight, I’m going to his restaurant. He’s just been checking up on me and making sure I’m okay. Right now, the focus is purely on Melvin.” “Finally, I can fight someone my age. In my career, there has been a big age difference with my opponents. I hope to finally fight someone my age. They feel what I feel, so I’m curious how it’s going to go with someone my age.” “One of the biggest challenges is being an athlete, and to be a champion, you have to beat a champion. The real challenge of being an athlete is working hard, especially doing it in two weight divisions. You have the first person who could be champion champion. I would also love to be a champion champion of my country. Man has to have goals. If not, life is empty. “I am going to fight MMA with him. MMA includes everything. He better be ready for anything. “His managers and my managers were discussing the original idea of ​​fighting me. The decision was that they didn’t want to fight me. They looked for an opponent that was easier for Jake Paul to beat. The fact is they don’t want to fight me.”

BELLATOR 285: HENDERSON VS. QUEALLY FIGHT CARD:

MAIN CARD: SHOWTIME (US) / BBC Three (UK) / Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND)Friday September 23: 9pm GMT/4pm ET/1pm PT

Lightweight fight: #3: Benson Henderson (29-11) vs. #5: Peter Queally (13-6-1) Light heavyweight fight: #7: Yoel Romero (14-6) vs. #9: Melvin Manhoef ( 32)-15-1)Women’s Featherweight Fight: #5-Leah McCourt (6-2) vs. #9-Dayana Silva (10-7)Featherweight Fight: #3-Mads Burnell (16-4) vs. #5-Pedro Carvalho (12-6) Featherweight fight: Ciaran Clarke (5-0) vs. Raphael Hudson (5-3)

PRELIMINARY CARD: BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV (US) BBC iPlayer (UK) | Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND) 6pm GMT/1pm ET/10am PT

Bantamweight fight: Brett Johns (18-3) vs. Jordan Winski (12-3) Bantamweight fight: Brian Moore (14-9) vs. Arivaldo Lima da Silva (19-10) Light heavyweight fight: #6-Karl Albrektsson (13-3) vs. Karl Moore (9-2) Lightweight fight: Darragh Kelly (1-0) vs. Kye Stevens (3- 1, 1 NC) Lightweight fight: Georgi Karakhanyan (31-13-1) vs. Kane Mousah (13-4) Featherweight fight: Kenny Mokhonoana (3-0) vs. Alex Bodnar (4-1) Featherweight fight: Asael Adjoudj (3-1) vs. Jordan Barton (7-2) Welterweight fight: Dante Schiro (9-3) vs. Luca Poclit (7-1)

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. He is passionate about combat sports and also hosts a podcast for Sitting Ringside. He is also a former MMA Fighter and Kickboxer.

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