Yoel Romero

Yoel Romero Palacio ( born April 30, 1977 in Pinar del Rio) is a Cuban MMA fighter and former wrestler. He was world champion in 1999 and won at the 2000 Olympic Games silver medal each in free style at middleweight.

Career

Yoel Romero Palacio comes from a large family. He has five brothers as he run all sport while afford excellent. He himself chose the rings and started in 1989 with the sport. After the first major successes at the national level, he was delegated to the giants Cerro Pelado Havana and trained there by Filiberto Delgado. He wrestles with the free style. In addition to the rings, he completed a coach training in Havana. He struggled in his career always in the middleweight ( up to 2001 kg and 85 kg, from 2002-84 kg body weight).

Making his first appearance at an international championship wrestler Yoel Romero had at the Junior World Championship ( Juniors) 1997 in Helsinki. He finished there in the class to 83 kg body weight behind the Iranians Feridon Ghanbaripisar the 2nd place. In the same year he was already used in the Senior World Championships in Krasnoyarsk. He lost there after two won fights against Eldar Assanow from Ukraine and Soslan Frajew from Russia, but was defeated Magomed Ibragimov from Azerbaijan in the battle for fifth place.

In 1998, he won his first title in Winnipeg at a Pan American Championship. He defeated in the finals Dean Morrison from the United States. In the same year he also won his first medal at a Senior World Championship at the World Championships in Tehran. After losing in the semi-final against Alireza Heidari from Iran, he defeated in the battle for the bronze medal Chadschimurad Magomedov of Russia narrow 3:2 techn. Points.

At the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1999, he had been surprisingly beaten by Leslie Gutches from the United States and took the 3rd place in the final result. But he celebrated the biggest success of his career in the subsequent World Championships in Ankara. He was there with six wins new world champion. On the way to this success, he defeated among others Andre Backhaus from Germany, but hit very well with its 4:8 point defeat against Romero. In the final battle Yoel Romero defeated again Chadschimurad Magomedov.

At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 to Yoel Romero fought with four wins to the final. There he met Adam Saitijew from Russia, who was in the form of his life and gave him no chance. The point victory of Adam Saitijew fell 7-1 techn. Points quite clearly. Yoel Romero won but at least the silver medal.

After Sydney the successful career of Yoel Romero continued unabated, if he could not win a title even more at World Championships and Olympic Games.

But at the Pan American Championships and Games, he celebrated in 2001, mainly before Andy Hrovat, USA, 2002, before Brandon Eggum, USA, 2003, before Carl Rainville, Canada and Cael Sanderson, USA, 2004, before Thomas David Rowlands, USA and 2007 Jesus Gonzales, Venezuela superior victories.

At the World Championships he came in 2001 to 3rd place after a semi-final defeat against Chadschimurad Magomedov. In 2002 he became vice-world champion in Tehran, where he delivered a tough battle in the final Adam Saitijew and only with 3:4 techn. Points lost. In 2003, was not in good form and lost to Magomed Ibragimov, the Azerbaijanis, who went to Macedonia in the meantime to the start and Saschid Saschidow from Russia.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Yoel Romero defeated among others David Bichinaschwili from Germany. In the semifinals, he lost to the American Cael Sanderson almost 2:3 techn. Points and then also lost the battle for the bronze medal against Saschid Saschidow with 3:5 techn. Points.

His last World Cup he played in 2005 in Budapest. After four wins, he suggested, inter alia, Soslan Gaziew from Belarus and Taras Danko from Ukraine, he met in the finals on Rewas Mindoraschwili from Georgia. He lost that fight with 1:7 high tech. Points. After this fight he allegations were made ​​by the Cuban Wrestling Federation, he would not have shown the full will to win, or even that he had voluntarily lost. He was then locked for the year 2006 for international competitions.

But in 2007 he was back in a Cuban wrestler team that made ​​a competition and training tour of Europe. He sat down on the Cuban team and asked for political asylum in Germany. His brother Yoan Pablo Hernandez works as a professional boxer, also in Germany.

Yoel Romero Palacio By 2011, lived in Bavaria and trained wrestlers of the SV Johannis Nürnberg. He also competed for this team in the German Bundesliga 1.

MMA

At the same time he started a career in mixed martial arts and trained Combat Sambo at Modern Karate Center Althof in Nuremberg. After TKO victories against the Austrian MMA champion Sascha Weinpolter and Poland MMA Top Rank division Michal Fijalka, he was able to hold successful in this sport. His third MMA victory achieved in the first round ( by task) Yoel in the fight against Nikita Petrov Lithuania. On 10 September 2011, he was in Strikeforce debut against Rafael Cavalcante be 36, this he lost in the second round by KO.

International success

Note: all the competitions in free style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, Middleweight, to 84 kg body weight

Swell

• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Science at the University of Leipzig,
• Journal The Ringer,
• Sites of the U.S. and Russian wrestlers Association