Hector Lombard withdraws, Alex Nicholson steps in vs Yoel Romero
Hector Lombard has pulled out of Friday’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 10 headliner against Yoel Romero, forcing a quick opponent change for the 48-year-old Cuban.
Promotion chief Jorge Masvidal announced the switch via Instagram, with Alex Nicholson now set to face Romero in a heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight main event at Miami’s Unrivaled Arena. Per MMA Mania, Lombard cited insufficient training time for his withdrawal. “I didn’t have enough time,” he said. “Maybe a week and a half of training — I most respect the game. I need the proper training and proper time…I must be prepared.”
What the short-notice swap means for Romero’s Gamebred debut
Romero competed across multiple bareknuckle promotions over the past year, most recently dropping a disputed decision to Vagab Vagabov at IBA Bare Knuckle 4 in Russia on March 28, according to Sherdog. He has not fought standard MMA since stopping Thiago Santos on the PFL vs. Bellator card in February 2024. Romero also won under the Dirty Boxing banner and made a successful BKFC appearance in the interim.
Nicholson enters on a cold streak, winless since knocking out Zac Pauga in September 2024. The 35-year-old sits 3-2 under the Gamebred banner after losses to Chase Sherman and Frank Tate wiped out his debut knockout of Prince McLean. He finished his standard MMA career 20-13 across stops in the UFC and PFL.
Lombard last competed for the promotion in 2023, stopping Chris Sarro in the first round. He went 3-1 in BKFC before suffering a 19-second knockout to James Cannon at DBX 3 earlier this year. Luis Palomino and Darrell Horcher meet in the lightweight co-main event. The card streams free on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET.
Original reporting:
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