Vadim Nemkov-Yoel Romero, Sergio Pettis-Patrício Pitbull Title Fights Headline Bellator’s Return To Chicago In June

Bellator will be making its return to The Windy City this summer, as Bellator 297 is set to take place on June 16 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

NBC Sports Chicago’s Michael Allardyce was the first to report the news of the event, with the promotion themselves confirming it via a tweet on Monday. The card will be headlined by a meeting between reigning Bellator light heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov, and former UFC title challenger, Yoel Romero. Nemkov is 10-0-1 in his last eleven fights and is coming off a unanimous decision win over, Corey Anderson, in their rematch at Bellator 288 last November. Romero on the other hand is 2-1 in his three promotional appearances and will look to build on a third-round KO victory over, Melvin Manhoef, at Bellator 285 back in September. 

The night’s co-main event will feature current Bellator featherweight champion, Patrício “Pitbull” Freire, moving down in weight to challenge bantamweight champ, Sergio Pettis, as the Brazilian legend tries to win a title in a third weight class. Freire is riding a three-fight winning streak and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Rizin featherweight champion, Kleber Koike Erbst, at Rizin 40 this past New Year’s Eve in Japan. Pettis meanwhile will make his long-awaited return to the Bellator cage, after suffering a torn ACL last March. He’s won his last five fights and defeated former Rizin and Bellator champ, Kyoji Horiguchi, via a fourth-round KO at Bellator 272 back in December 2021, in his most recent appearance.

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