BKFC Pound-for-Pound King Replacing Yoel Romero at Knucklemania VI

Yoel Romero's sophomore BKFC appearance will have to wait.

Romero, 48, was scheduled to face BKFC light heavyweight champion Lorenzo Hunt in a non-title heavyweight bout in the co-main event of Knucklemania VI. The 'Soldier of God' has withdrawn from the bout 11 days before the event due to the flu, the BKFC informed KO on SI.

"Unfortunately I have to withdraw from my scheduled fight with Lorenzo Hunt at KM6 due to a very strong strain of the flu," Romero said in an official statement.

"During my weight cut for RAF I felt my immune system was low and I was feeling very weak. A few days after my January 10th RAF match I started to experience severe flu symptoms. I am extremely disappointed but I've been unable to train and I need to make my health a priority. I look forward to returning to action to face Lorenzo Hunt at a later date which is already in the works by BKFC."

BREAKING: Yoel Romero is out but the #1 P4P BKFC fighter David Mundell steps in to take on Lorenzo Hunt 🔥🔥🔥#KM6 | Feb 7 | Tix at https://t.co/LJX5urGkRW pic.twitter.com/pe68AVjwHM
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) January 27, 2026

Hunt, however, will remain on the card. 'The Juggernaut' will now face BKFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king David Mundell in a 199-pound catchweight bout.

Mundell has not fought since June 2025, when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Donald Sanchez. He was briefly expected to move up and challenge then-light heavyweight champion Josh Dyer at the end of the year before being replaced in that matchup by Hunt.

With Hunt being the former pound-for-pound champion, the matchup pits two of the best fighters in promotional history against one another. Although Hunt is currently off the pound-for-pound rankings list, his six victories in BKFC championship fights are the second-most in promotional history.

Yoel Romero cites RAF weight cut for Knucklemania VI withdrawal

Romero's withdrawal comes two weeks after he missed weight for his freestyle wrestling match against UFC star Bo Nickal at RAF 5. Nickal refused to compete after Romero's weight miss and pulled himself from the event, leading the latter to face former NCAA Division I National Champion Stephen Buchanan instead.

Since his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC 80, Romero has competed in a pair of RAF wrestling matches. He beat Pat Downey in his promotional debut at RAF 4, one month before suffering a loss to Buchanan.

Romero impressed in his win over Downey, but by competing twice, he had himself attempting three weight cuts in as many months. Romero might seem like an ageless wonder, but that activity evidently caught up with him and his body.

Romero revealed in his statement that the BKFC is already working to rebook his bout with Hunt later in the year. Hunt has been calling for the fight since the Cuban signed with the promotion in mid-2025.

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