Romero suffers decision loss to Davis in Bellator debut

Yoel Romero's Bellator debut did not go as planned.

Phil Davis defeated the former UFC middleweight contender via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27) in the Bellator 266 light heavyweight main event Saturday night in San Jose, California.

Davis dictated the pace in the striking department during the first two rounds, staying more active than Romero.

In the third frame, Davis relied heavily on his wrestling background to get Romero to the ground. He constantly dragged Romero back to the mat whenever he returned to his feet.

In the end, Davis had a perfect game plan to spoil Romero's debut with relative ease as "The Soldier of God" struggled to score much significant offense throughout the 15-minute contest.

Davis, a former Bellator light heavyweight champion and UFC 205-pound contender, bounced back from an April loss to current champion Vadim Nemkov.

Romero competed for the first time since a decision defeat to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in March 2020, and his losing streak extended to four Saturday. The 44-year-old hasn't picked up a win in professional MMA since February 2018.