Yoel Romero already had three Olympic medals in freestyle wrestling (one silver and two bronze) before he decided to make the switch to MMA fighting in 2009. But it's not like Romero wasn't familiar with gut-wrenchingly tough choices. Two years earlier, the star athlete abandoned his life in Havana to flee for Florida after defecting during a match in Germany. Both decisions have turned out to be profitable moves. He's ranked sixth in the official Ultimate Championship Fighting's middleweight rankings. Not too bad for a guy who's 38 years old — an age that, by MMA standards, practically makes him retirement eligible. In his five years as an MMA fighter, Romero has knocked out his share of top-flight competitors, including Clifford Starks and Ronny Markes. His surprisingly strong punches and elbows, combined with his religious faith, quickly earned him the nickname Soldier of God. Romero will likely take some time away from MMA in the next few months — in an April match, the Soldier of God tore knee ligaments. But he is sure to find his way back into the ring, where arm-triangle choke submissions, D'Arce chokeholds, and banana splits await him.