Tomás Yelmini
In the light heavyweight mixed martial arts category, Yoel Romero vs Melvin Manhoef will fight in Dublin, Ireland, in a duel of titans who come from a long history in the discipline. The two will have a golden opportunity to win the title, while for Manhoef it will be a special fight, since he will fight again after almost two years of inactivity.
At JefeBet we tell you how both light heavyweight fighters get to the event, their last fights, and the prediction for this fight that is part of the Bellator 285 Main Card.
Betting Preview for Bellator 285 Featuring Yoel Romero vs Melvin Manhoef on September 23 2022
- Where: 3Arena – Dublin, Ireland
- When: Friday, September 23, 2022 at 4.00 PM ET
- Odds: Yoel Romero (-770) vs Melvin Manhoef (+475)
All odds shown are courtesy of Unibet.
Yoel Romero
- Odds: -770
- Record: 14-6-0
- Age: 45 years old
- Height: 1.78 m
- Weight: 83 kg
- Reach: 1.87 m
Nicknamed El Soldado de Dios, this Cuban signed with Bellator in 2020, when he ended his UFC contract in not the best way: with three losses, all by Unanimous Decision (to Israel Adesanya, in a title fight; to Nate Diaz; and Paulo Costa).
The last two most recent fights were uneven, given that he lost in September 2021 to Phil Davis, but then won last May by KO/TKO against American Alex Polizzi (Bellator 280).
Melvin Manhoef
- Odds: +475
- Record: 32-15-1
- Age: 46 years old
- Height: 1.73 m
- Weight: 205 lbs
- Reach: 1.80 m
It’s been almost two years since his last fight, and we’ll see if this mega knockout is still intact after all this time. His fame was forged by pure knockout: of his 32 victories, 29 were by KO/TKO.
In his last five fights, he most recently lost to Corey Anderson by KO/TKO (it was the evening’s featured fight) on November 5, 2020.
He won the previous two (KO/TKO against Yannik Bahati and by Unanimous Decision against Kent Kauppinen); while he lost the other two (for the title): the first by a memorable kick from Rafael Carvalho that hit the right side of his jaw (Bellator 176), and the second, also by Carvalho’s fault (Bellator 155), although this time by Unanimous Decision.
JefeBet Prediction
Two years of inactivity is costly at any age, let alone for a professional who is close to 50 years old.
While Melvin Monhaef’s hopes for a win rest on his extreme knockout power, he will face Yoel Romero, who fought less than six months ago and comes into the fight sharp. Therefore, we believe that it will be the Cuban’s fist that will be raised by the referee at the end of the fight.
Prediction: Yoel Romero wins by decision.
Odds courtesy of Unibet. Read our review here!
