Vadim Nemkov Vs. Yoel Romero Dropped From Bellator 290: Bader Vs. Emelianenko 2
It's unclear why the matchup was cancelled.
Johnny Eblen will replace Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 290.
Bellator announced on Tuesday that Nemkov’s light heavyweight title defense against four-time UFC title challenger Yoel Romero, that would’ve served as a co-main event, is off. Instead, Eblen will defend his middleweight title against Anatoly Tokov, ESPN reported.
It’s unclear if Nemkov vs. Romero will be rescheduled to a later date. It’s also unclear as to why the matchup has been removed.
It’ll be Eblen’s first title defense since winning a lopsided unanimous decision over fan favorite Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 282. He is 12-0 in his pro MMA career and has eight wins under Bellator.
Tokov is also undefeated with Bellator. In his last fight, he defeated Muhammad Abdullah by first-round TKO.
While Eblen vs. Tokov will serve as the co-feature, on the forefront is a heavyweight title rematch between champion Ryan Bader and legendary Fedor Emelianenko – a fight that Bellator CEO Scott Coker said that Emelianenko has been asking for as a retirement fight.
This is expected to be the last bout of Emelianenko’s legendary career.
Bellator 290 takes place on February 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The card will make its live debut on CBS.