In a highly anticipated main event, light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov successfully defended his title for the fourth time against Yoel Romero in Bellator 297 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Nemkov displayed his dominance throughout the five-round bout, earning a unanimous decision victory with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 49-46.
In the co-main event, featherweight champion Patricio Freire aimed to make history by becoming a three-division champion, but bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis had other plans. Pettis returned from a 419-day layoff due to injury and put on a striking clinic, earning a unanimous decision victory with scores of 49-46, 50-45, and 50-45.
Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis also competed on the main card against top contender Corey Anderson. In a closely contested bout, Anderson earned a split decision victory with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.
On the preliminary card, Ramazan Kuramagomedov delivered a devastating knee strike to Jaleel Willis, earning a first-round knockout victory. Norbert Novenyi Jr. also earned a quick finish, knocking out Kamil Oniszczuk with punches in just 46 seconds.
In other preliminary bouts, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Archie Colgan, Jordan Newman, and Cody Law all earned victories via unanimous decision.
The postliminary card featured Wladmir Gouvea vs. Gabriel Sayeg, Kyle Crutchmer vs. Bobby Nash, Mike Hamel vs. Shamil Nikaev, Alex Polizzi vs. Karl Moore, and Timur Khizriev vs. Richie Smullen.