Nemkov vs. Romero, Pettis vs. Freire Top Bellator 297 Lineup in Chicago

A pair of title fights will serve as featured attractions when Bellator 297 heads to Chicago this June.

Vadim Nemkov will defend his light heavyweight crown against Yoel Romero in the evening’s main event, while Sergio Pettis will lock horns with Patricio Freire in a bantamweight title tilt, the California-based promotion announced Monday. Bellator 297 takes place on June 16 at the Wintrust Arena, and the main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Nemkov is unbeaten in his last 11 professional appearances. The 30-year-old Fedorteam representative is coming off a five-round verdict over Corey Anderson in the finals of the 205-pound grand prix at Bellator 288 this past November. His resume includes wins over the likes of Phil Davis (twice), Ryan Bader, Liam McGeary and Philipe Lins.

A former middleweight title challenger in the UFC, Romero has been victorious in two of his first three promotional outings. After dropping a split verdict to Phil Davis in his debut, “The Soldier of God” has scored back-to-back KO/TKO triumphs against Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef under the Bellator banner.

Pettis will return to active competition for the first time since an ACL injury forced him to withdraw from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. The Roufusport standout claimed 135-pound gold with a unanimous decision triumph against Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258 before defending the crown with a spinning backfist knockout of Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 in December 2021.

Freire, the reigning featherweight title holder, will attempt to become champ-champ for a second time after previously holding the Bellator lightweight belt. The 35-year-old “Pitbull” enters the matchup on a three-bout winning streak, which includes title bout wins over A.J. McKee and Adam Borics as well as a three-round verdict against Rizin champ Kleber Koike Erbst in a cross-promotional affair.