Yoel Romero reveals fight with Gegard Mousasi set for GFL New York in June, Shogun Rua out
Former UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero has revealed his slated GFL (Global Fight League) debut against Shogun Rua has been scrapped, in favor of a middleweight clash with fellow Octagon alum, Gegard Mousasi — at a promotional event in New York this summer.
Romero, an alum of the UFC, Bellator MMA and the PFL, was signed to a multi-fight deal with the newly-launched, GFL later this year, ahead of a return to mixed martial arts.
And the Cuban was immediately thrust into a controversial pairing with veteran former UFC light heavyweight titleholder, Rua, who had called time on his faltering career back in 2023.
Hitting the headlines amid some controversy from concerned fans and pundits for the health of Brazilian icon, Rua — the seems his pairing with Olympic medal winner, Yoel Romero has now been scrapped.
Yoel Romero books new GFL debut fight with Gegard Mousasi
According to the Pinar del Rio native, he will instead take on former Bellator MMA champion, Mousasi in a showdown at the middleweight limit at a GFL New York event in June.
“He’s (Shogun Rua) out, and now I move to middleweight again, and I am fighting Gegard Mousasi,” Yoel Romero told Submission Radio. “I don’t know what happened to Shogun, but my manager called me last week. For me it’s a great honor because this fight is a medal for me, because at the end of the day, when I finish in my career, I can say I fought with this guy. This guy is a legend. That’s it.”
Himself set to return to active competition for the first time since 2023, Dutch kickboxing talent, Mousasi is currently in the midst of a two-fight losing run against both Fabian Edwards, and Johnny Elben both under the Bellator MMA banner — where he twice scooped middleweight spoils.
Returning to winning-ways back in February of last year, UFC alum, Romero would turn in a unanimous decision victory over fellow Octagon veteran, Thiago Santos in a one-sided victory at the light heavyweight limit in the Middle East.
