PFL’s Anthony Romero Prioritizes Fighting Smart: ‘It’s a Marathon in There’

Anthony Romero won’t rush and risk doing anything unwise in his first Professional Fighters League headliner.

Romero (12-1, 1-0 PFL) will face the toughest test in his career when he’ll be locked in the cage with 2022 PFL 155-pound champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier. A former PFL Challenger Series contestant, “The Genius” caught everyone’s attention after scoring a highlight-reel knockout over Kenn Glenn at Fury FC 60. Romero then upended Antonio Caruso on all scorecards in Week 4 of the 2023 PFL Challenger Series. Ahead of his assignment, Romero confessed that knockout helped boost his career, but he was uncertain about his path, hoping for a big offer. He then got the opportunity to compete in the PFL Challenger Series, and even if he wasn’t immediately offered a contract, he landed a spot in the 2023 Regular Season. Romero acknowledged the significance of his main event fight against the 2022 lightweight champion and confidently stated he belongs at the top of the division. While he understands the importance of finishing his opponent to score points for the playoffs, he also emphasizes the need for patience and intelligent fighting.

“Of course, I have something to prove, but I'm not a dumb fighter. I'm a very intelligent fighter. I'm not going out there to give everything I got and get tired in whatever round it is, the third round because I gave everything in the first round. I know it’s a marathon when you're in there and there's opportunities that will arise in this fight. Like always, I need to be patient. I know that that opportunity will show up. It's happened before we talked about earlier with the flying knee. That's not something that I just ran across the ring like Jorge Masvidal and jump and throw the knee. It's something that takes time to find that opportunity and I know it'll happen just being myself. I don't need to be anyone different in there. I understand the format, I understand what I need to do, but I also need to win and be successful there.”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:12) His first PFL main event
(00:27) The flying knee-knockout that boosted his career
(01:44) Fighting on the PFL Challenger Series
(03:04) Facing Aubin-Mercier
(04:13) Aiming for a victory over anything else
(05:34) Whether he’s bothered by facing a fellow Canadian
(06:38) His take on Aubin-Mercier’s fighting style
(07:46) What should fans expect
(08:10) Outro