HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Yoel Romero is expanding his portfolio in the combat sports world.

A former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion recently revealed that his foundation for competition was laid by accepting Ben Askren’s invitation to train.

Ben stepped down from professional mixed martial arts in 2019, and he suffered from a serious health crisis in 2025. Learn more about the decorated ex-fighter and wrestler.

The latest update from Amy Askren, the former UFC star’s wife, was a positive one last week as she confirmed he had been given a double lung transplant. The expensive surgery wasn’t covered by their insurance, but the family received support from the fight world through online donations.

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! A former Bellator champ paid an emotional tribute to Ben Askren.

Corey Anderson will finally get his chance to battle for a Professional Fighters League (PFL) championship, and his MMA career is getting a bit of a restart. Anderson (18-6-0), the Hononegah grad who bailed on the UFC and migrated to Bellator MMA in 2020 ...

Lorenz Larkin is gearing up to fight in The Pit at KC in Miami 😤 Larkin has an impressive 15 KO/TKO rate out of his 27 total wins, and having formerly trained in Kickboxing and Kung-Fu, his style in made for The Pit 👀🔥 #KCMiami | FRI 7/18 + SAT 7/19 pic.twitter.com/hh3OY9ZylM

SportsLine's Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira fight card from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday