Yoel Romero can undoubtedly feel the wall at his back.
The 2000 Olympic silver medalist will draw his second assignment under the Bellator MMA banner when he faces Alex Polizzi in the Bellator 280 light heavyweight co-headliner on Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. Romero finds himself on a career-worst four-fight losing streak and in desperate need of a positive outcome. The American Top Team mainstay last competed at Bellator 266, where he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Phil Davis on Sept. 18. Polizzi, meanwhile, enters the cage on the strength of three consecutive victories. The Chosen Few Gym product last fought on March 12, when he submitted Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their Bellator 276 pairing.
In advance of the Romero-Polizzi showdown at 205 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied the two participants to this point:
45: Years of age for Romero, who was born on April 30, 1977 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
11: Romero wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 85% of his career total (13). His list of victims includes three former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders: Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida. Romero holds two other wins by decision.
1,545: Days since Romero last visited victory lane. He has posted a 0-4 record following his third-round knockout of the aforementioned Rockhold at UFC 221 on Feb. 10, 2018.
8: Post-fight bonuses banked by Romero across his 13 appearances in the UFC. He was awarded “Fight of the Night” on five times, “Performance of the Night” on two occasions and “Knockout of the Night” once, resulting in $350,000 of additional income.
95: Combined victories between the five opponents—Davis, Robert Whittaker (twice), Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa and Rafael Cavalcante—who have beaten Romero. They boast a cumulative .812 winning percentage (95-22).
30: Years of age for Polizzi, who was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on Dec. 22, 1991.
4: Polizzi victories by submission, accounting for 40% of his career total (10). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes, one heel hook and one straight armbar. Polizzi owns four other victories by knockout or technical knockout and two more by decision.
191: Seconds needed for Polizzi to put away Jaquis Williams with a rear-naked choke in his professional debut at Pure Fighting Championships 9 on July 28, 2018. Having occurred nearly four years ago, it remains his fastest finish to date.
5: Companies for which Polizzi has provided his services as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 4-1 in Bellator, 2-0 in the Legacy Fighting Alliance, 2-0 in Chosen Few Fighting Championships, 1-0 in Pure Fighting Championship and 1-0 in Final Fight Championship.
16: Rounds completed by Polizzi since he turned pro. He has gone the distance on three different occasions and carries a 2-1 record in those bouts, a November 2020 unanimous decision loss to Julius Anglickas the lone outlier.
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