Nickal vs. Romero Rescheduled for RAF 16

MMA Fighting reports that Real American Freestyle announced Tuesday that Bo Nickal will face Yoel Romero at RAF 16 on Dec. 19 in Long Island, N.Y.

It's a test. The question isn't whether the card is set. It's whether the promotion can get two men to the same mat.

How we got here

EssentiallySports reports that Nickal, a former NCAA champ, withdrew from the RAF 4 bout with Romero for undisclosed reasons. The event was still moving forward, with NCAA wrestler Pat Downey replacing him against Romero.

Per LowKick MMA, Romero reportedly missed weight by 7 lb. Nickal then declined the match, saying: "Man, this doesn't make sense for me to continue to like put myself out in this way."

That's the line to remember.

MMA Fighting also reports the new bout is a catchweight crossover. Middle Easy uses the same label, puts the show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, and says the matchup section of the RAF site lists only this pairing.

The rescheduling was reported on November 10, 2026. That leaves about five weeks to hold it together.

This is the promotion's problem, not the fighters' alone. A fight that's fallen apart before teaches fans to wait for the weigh-in video before they care. A new announcement doesn't fix that.

We're watching for updates, mainly the undercard and any weigh-in terms.

Announcements are cheap. The weigh-in is the receipt.

Image: AI illustration (Higgsfield), based on photos from Yahoo Sports (MMA Fighting story per headline). Not a photograph of the events described.

This post was generated by AI. Sources are linked above. Follow @bjj-problems on YouTube for the weekly video digest.