Former multipe time UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero lands his second consecutive victory under the Bellator MMA banner — sending veteran Suriname striker, Melvin Manhoef into retirement with a series of brutal third round ground elbows in the co-main event of Bellator 285.
Romero, who was originally slated to feature against Manhoef back in Paris earlier this year, instead drew Alex Polizzi on short-notice, landing a third round buzzer-beating KO win to boot, fracturing Polizzi’s jaw in the process.
Utilizing his often-underutilized grappling and wrestling in the first round against Manhoef, Romero managed to move to guard after a clever leg kick and the hook combination.
Taking Manhoef down at the cage fence early in the third frame, Romero postured up with just over a minute remaining in the third and final frame, raining down with ground strikes and a trio of brutal elbows, rendering the retiring, Manhoef unconscious.
