Sherdog Prospect Watch: Anthony Romero

Anthony Romero!!!!#FuryFC60 pic.twitter.com/BG7jSKaOGn

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 24, 2022

Anthony Romero, 25, has established himself as one of the top prospects outside of major mixed martial arts organizations. Nicknamed “The Genius” for his brainy style inside and away from the cage, he brings an 11-1 record to the table, with his only defeat resulting from a split decision. Romero’s opposition boasts a 79-49 combined record, which equates to a .617 winning percentage.

A Niagara Top Team product, Romero almost always looks composed in striking and grappling exchanges. He seems comfortable with all aspects of the sport and can change strategy in the blink of an eye. Usually, he stays patient and prefers to tire his opponents on the feet, waiting for the right moment to connect with powerful shots or move in for a takedown. Romero has delivered three of his 11 wins by knockout or technical knockout, seven others by decision and one more by submission. He does not shy away from hostile territory, as he has yet to fight professionally in his native Canada.

Romero started his combat sports journey with taekwondo at the age of 5 and eventually earned his black belt in the discipline. He made his professional MMA debut in November 2017, when he took a unanimous decision from Peter San Antonio under the King of the Cage banner. Romero spent two years and secured six wins in the promotion before moving on to the Ohio Combat League, where he knocked out Jacob Miller in 58 seconds to improve to 7-0 on March 7, 2020. His exploits caught the attention of UFC President Dana White, who offered him a spot on a Dana White’s Contender Series card five months later. Romero upended Glory MMA export Mike Breeden thanks to his effective use of heavy leg kicks, drawing 30-26, 30-27 and 29-28 scores from the judges. However, it was not enough to earn him an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. White told Romero he should work on his game against southpaws and improve his killer instinct.

Upon his return to the regional scene, Romero eked out a split decision over Zach Juusola inside the Legacy Fighting Alliance organization in December 2020. He then experienced the most difficult moment of his career thus far, as he was outpointed by J.J. Okanovich in the Fury Fighting Championship 50 headliner on Sept. 5, 2021. Romero started strong and even dropped his adversary early in the first round, only to see Okanovich get his bearings. They went to war in Round 3 and eventually settled for a judges’ decision, with two of the scorers giving the nod to Okanovich. A little more than two months later, Romero bounced back with a unanimous decision over Nico Echeverry at Fury FC 54.

Romero passed his most recent test with flying colors when he knocked out Kenn Glenn with a flying knee at FFC 60 on April 24. After breaking down Glenn’s approach, “The Genius” waited patiently for his counterpart to overcommit and lower his guard. After dodging Glenn’s punches, Romero fired back with a vicious right knee that landed on the chin with only 21 seconds left in the second round. Such a resounding victory figures to once again draw the attention of talent evaluators across the sport.