Yoel Romero has a date for his BKFC debut.
The bare-knuckle boxing promotion announced Tuesday that Romero is set to face Theo Doukas in a heavyweight bout at BKFC 80 on Sept. 12 in Hollywood, Fla. This marks Romero’s first BKFC appearance, and the first time he’ll compete under this rule set.
Romero, 48, has dabbled in boxing variations recently, fighting twice for Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing promotion. He was successful in both fights, knocking out Duane Crespo inside of a round and then finishing Ras Hylton in Round 3 in May. The longtime UFC middleweight contender’s signing was announced by BKFC this past July.
A decorated amateur wrestler that won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Romero owns a 16-7 pro record and once challenged for the UFC middleweight championship, falling short in a forgettable fight against Israel Adesanya. He won his most recent fight at a PFL vs. Bellator event in February 2024, when he won a unanimous decision against fellow ex-UFC fighter Thiago Santos.
Doukas is just 2-2 in his pro MMA career. He is coming off of consecutive losses, having been finished via American submission by Cole Shafer in April 2024.
Check out the update BKFC 80 lineup below.
Yoel Romero vs. Theo Doukas
Leonardo Perdomo vs. Arnold Adams
Bobby Henry vs. Braeden Kuykendall
Chris Garcia vs. Austin Lewis
Wayna Reid vs. Paulo Games
Nicholas Blume vs. Michael Furnier
Jancarlos Rivera vs. Vincent Alsept
Rudy Levocz vs. Eric Westbury
