Bellator MMA

Bellator books Sergio Pettis – Kyoji Horiguchi

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Bellator has booked a massive title fight for their bantamweight division. The promotion took to the Morning Kombat show today to announce that they had finalized a bantamweight title fight between Sergio Pettis (21-5) and Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3) for December 3rd.

This matchup will pair the Bellator champion (Pettis) against the RIZIN champion (Horiguchi). Many will recall that Horiguchi was the Bellator bantamweight champion as well when he defeated Darrion Caldwell back in 2019.

At that time, Horiguchi was already the RIZIN champion and the win over Caldwell gave him two championships. The two promotions had agreed to do a co-promotion with Horiguchi holding both titles.

However, after Horiguchi got hurt, Bellator moved on with crowning a new bantamweight champion. Juan Archuleta became the champion before ultimately losing the Bellator title to Sergio Pettis earlier this year.

Horiguchi had lost the RIZIN championship in his last fight of 2019. He returned in December of 2020 and avenged that loss while winning back that title. Now, he’s going to try and win back the Bellator title that he never lost.

Bellator vs RIZIN

Sergio Pettis has really taken off after leaving the UFC. Pettis was always touted for his skill and potential but never reached the top of the mountain in the UFC. That said, he was still able to defeat some of the best inside the octagon.

After becoming a free agent, Bellator signed Pettis to an exclusive deal. Since joining the promotion, he’s gone 3-0. The highlight of that stretch came at Bellator 258 when he took on Juan Archuleta for the bantamweight championship.

The two had a good fight, but Pettis was getting the better of things throughout. Ultimately, Pettis scored a decision win to become bantamweight champion. Now, he’s going to have his chance to defeat Horiguchi who never lost his title with Bellator.

After Bellator 268, does Corey Anderson have an argument for the best light heavyweight?

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Corey Anderson

This past Saturday at Bellator 268, the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix resumed. In the co-main event of the evening, Ryan Bader (28-7) took on Corey Anderson (16-5). Bader was the former light heavyweight champion and is the current heavyweight champion.

This fight had a ton of hype behind it as both men have had similar paths to get to where they are today. After never quite reaching the mountain top in the UFC, both men have seen a tremendous amount of success in the Bellator cage.

Bader became a two-division champion and Corey Anderson has looked like a world-beater since making the jump last year. While this fight had a ton of hype behind it, the fight itself wasn’t very competitive and it didn’t last long.

In the opening minute, Anderson was able to catch Bader with a beautiful shot that put the heavyweight champion down. Anderson followed up with big shots and ultimately got the stoppage win and punching his ticket to the Bellator Grand Prix finals.

Is Bellator’s Anderson the best?

After the fight was over and Anderson had his hand raised at Bellator 268, many were saying that Anderson had an argument as the best light heavyweight. Not just in Bellator, but in the entire sport.

This argument was met with objection from the UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz took to Twitter today to remind everyone that he knocked out Anderson last year which was Anderson’s final fight in the UFC.

It’s worth noting that the fight between Anderson and Blachowicz was a rematch. Their first fight took place back in 2015 with Anderson getting the win. Anderson also holds a victory over Glover Teixeira who is challenging for the light heavyweight title in a couple of weeks.

We might very well be seeing the best version of Corey Anderson in Bellator. However, we have also seen the best version of Jan Blachowicz in the UFC as of late. Given that MMA is a, “What have you done for me lately?” kind of sport, my opinion is the best is still Blachowicz.

The resume for The Polish Power is just much better than Anderson’s over the last year. However, Anderson is at the very top of that list as well. He’s not just potentially the best light heavyweight in Bellator, he does have an argument for the best in the world regardless of promotion.

Bellator made a mistake with AJ McKee and Patricio Pitbull

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AJ McKee

Last week, Scott Coker appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour where he broke some Bellator news. One of the key pieces of news that he announced was that Patricio Pitbull (32-5) would be vacating the lightweight title to stay at featherweight.

His brother, Patricky Pitbull, would be fighting in November for the vacant lightweight title. This decision has been rumored for some time, but it wasn’t official until last week. Patricky is one of the top lightweights but with his brother holding the title, he was blocked.

Now with Patricio Pitbull giving up the Bellator title, Patricky will have his chance. Pitbull gave up the title in order to stay at his natural weight class of 145 pounds. He’s focused on getting a rematch with the champion, AJ McKee (18-0).

McKee and Pitbull met at Bellator 263 at the end of July. They met in the finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix with the title on the line. McKee completely dominated the fight and submitted Pitbull in the first round.

Given the career success of Pitbull in Bellator, everyone assumed that a rematch between the two would be next. However, the debate was around which weight class it would take place at. They fought at featherweight, but there was an option to run it back at 155.

Bellator’s Mistake

Coker told Helwani that Bellator is currently working booking the rematch between McKee and Pitbull. I don’t disagree with the booking and in fact, I believe it’s the right fight to make. However, I don’t like the decision to do it at featherweight.

AJ McKee has massive star potential for Bellator. He’s fought his entire career with the promotion and his star is just now really starting to shine. Yes, they didn’t fight long in the first fight, but I think it’s safe to say that McKee will be a sizeable favorite when they fight again.

If I was in the Bellator front office, I would have tried to make the fight happen at lightweight. McKee wants to move up eventually and this would’ve given him the opportunity to become the promotion’s champ-champ.

On one hand, I understand the logic of having them fight at 145 again. Pitbull was the greatest featherweight in the promotion’s history and he’s really never been a lightweight. He simply moved up to fight Michael Chandler and avenge a loss that his brother had.

If McKee defeats Pitbull again at 145, he will have taken over as the promotion’s greatest featherweight and then he can do whatever he wants. I understand both sides of the issue, I just wish Bellator would’ve booked the champion vs champion rematch. It’s the bigger fight with more on the line.

Bellator books Aaron Pico – Justin Gonzalez

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Bellator has finalized a big time matchup featuring two of their best featherweight prospects. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report yesterday that the promotion had finalized a matchup between Aaron Pico (8-3) and Justin Gonzalez (12-0).

The matchup will take place at Bellator 271 on November 12th. While many will of course focus on Aaron Pico for this matchup, there needs to be a lot of attention on “The J-Train” Justin Gonzalez.

Gonzalez will be making his second appearance with Bellator since signing with the promotion earlier this year. After starting out his career a perfect 9-0, Gonzalez got a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2019.

Gonzalez was able to win by decision, but that wasn’t enough to get a contract with the UFC. From there, Gonzalez went to LFA where he defeated the previously unbeaten Jake Childers. That win was enough for Bellator to come calling.

He made his debut back in June when he took on Ty-wan Claxton. It was a close fight, but Gonzalez was able to pick up the split decision win at Bellator 260. Now, he’s getting a high profile fight against the dangerous Aaron Pico.

Bellator title run for Pico?

There weren’t many prospects that have ever started MMA with the level of hype Aaron Pico had. Maybe Brock Lesnar but that’s not entirely fair considering Lesnar’s status with the WWE prior to jumping into MMA.

Pico was looked at as a prodigy and Bellator signed him before he even turned 18 years old. He made his professional debut in 2017 and proceeded to lose in 24 seconds. From there, he won four straight before getting knocked out in back-to-back fights.

After those losses, Pico switched things up and went to Jackson-Wink for his training. Since making that transition, Pico has now won four straight fights again. With this current streak, not a single fight has gone the distance.

Pico is getting closer and closer to a shot at Bellator gold. This is going to be a very tough matchup for him and given the undefeated status of Gonzalez, the winner might only be a win or two away from a title shot. This is definitely one to watch at Bellator 271.

Bellator 268 Preview: Benson Henderson – Brent Primus

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Benson Henderson

Tomorrow night on the main card of Bellator 268, we will see a fun matchup in the lightweight division. Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (28-10) will look to snap a two-fight losing streak as he takes on former Bellator champion Brent Primus (10-2).

Henderson will be making the walk for the 11th time as a member of Bellator. The former UFC champion signed with the promotion back in 2016 while trying to compete in the welterweight division. During his time with Bellator, he’s gone 0-2 at 170.

However, he has gone 5-3 at lightweight which is his correct weight class. He was knocked out by Michael Chandler in August of 2020 which snapped a four-fight win streak. He’s been mentioning retirement, but before he does, he wants to wear Bellator gold.

The last time we saw Brent Primus was back in July when he lost a split decision to Islam Mamedov. Primus has spent virtually his entire career with Bellator having gone 8-2 with the promotion and during that stretch, defeated Michael Chandler for the lightweight title.

Primus would go on to lose to Chandler in the rematch, but he has tasted Bellator gold unlike Benson Henderson. This is a big matchup for both men as the lightweight division is crowning a new champion next month and this fight could prove to be a title eliminator.

Bellator 268 Prediction

This fight will be decided very early on for me. I know that Primus is going to try and take this fight to the ground. We’ve seen Henderson be someone who is extremely tough to take down when he’s on his game. If he’s on, he could be in for a good result at Bellator 268.

Henderson wants this fight to stay on the feet. If it does, I would expect a variety of kick attacks and distance strikes to score points. I don’t believe either of these men would put the other out on the feet so expect more of a tactical battle for points.

Don’t rule out Primus landing a takedown early, but the majority of this fight should take place on the feet. Because of that, I like Henderson in this matchup. If he’s motivated and on top of his game, I expect a decision win from him at Bellator 268.

Bellator 268 Preview: Ryan Bader – Corey Anderson

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Ryan Bader

Saturday night in the co-main event of Bellator 268, we have a semifinal matchup in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Former light heavyweight and current heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (28-6) takes on Corey Anderson (15-5).

Ryan Bader lost the light heavyweight title back at Bellator 244 when he was knocked out by Vadim Nemkov. It was Bader’s first fight and defense of his title since 2017 and he didn’t look good. After losing the title, Bader had a decision to make.

He could either defend the heavyweight title or join the Grand Prix. Ultimately, Bader decided to join the Grand Prix and try and win his second title back. In the opening round, Bader was able to defeat Lyoto Machida by decision.

Standing across from Bader on Saturday night is Corey Anderson. Entering 2020, Corey Anderson looked like he was going to get a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title. He had a title eliminator against Jan Blachowicz and he lost by knockout.

After the fight, he actually got out of his UFC contract and signed with Bellator which shocked the fight world. Anderson made his debut with Bellator in November and won by TKO. He opened the Grand Prix with another TKO win to start out 2-0 with his new promotion.

Bellator 268 Prediction

This is such a good fight and one that I truly wish was five rounds. These are two of the better light heavyweights in the world and both contain a very similar skillset which will make this Bellator 268 matchup so intriguing.

Both men possess really good wrestling and they both have striking to be weary of. We have seen both Bader and Anderson put opponents away on the feet. In terms of using their wrestling, I would say that we’ve seen Anderson be more effective there, but Bader has better credentials overall.

I’ve really gone back and forth on this matchup at Bellator 268 because I think it comes down to the striking. I can picture Bader landing a bomb that puts Anderson out. However, I don’t ultimately think that’s going to happen.

I just have a feeling that this is Corey Anderson’s time. He will be able to do more on the feet and his wrestling will negate any wrestling from Bader. It might not be the most exciting affair, but I expect a Corey Anderson decision win at Bellator 268.

Prediction: Corey Anderson by Unanimous Decision

Bellator 268 Preview: Vadim Nemkov – Julius Anglickas

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This Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 268, the light heavyweight title is on the line as the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix continues. The champion Vadim Nemkov (14-2) is back as he’s taking on the surging challenger Julius Anglickas (10-1).

Originally, Nemkov was slated to take on Rumble Johnson in this semifinal matchup. However, after falling ill, Rumble had to pull out of the fight. Anglickas was originally scheduled to be on the Bellator 268 card and the promotion decided to add him to this matchup.

Anglickas will be making his fourth appearance with Bellator. He fought on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, but the UFC passed on him. After they didn’t sign him, Bellator scooped him up and he’s gone a perfect 3-0.

That said, Saturday night he’s going to have his hands full with the Bellator light heavyweight champion. Vadim Nemkov has been sensational since joining the promotion back in 2017. Since making his debut, he’s gone a perfect 6-0.

He captured the light heavyweight crown last year when he knocked out Ryan Bader at Bellator 244. In the opening round of the Grand Prix, he picked up his second win over Phil Davis. Despite the opponent change, Nemkov appears focused heading into Saturday.

Bellator 268 Prediction

Since losing out on his UFC contract, Anglickas has looked like a man possessed. He’s been incredibly good through his first three Bellator matchups and he does have a skillset that can give the champion some trouble on Saturday.

We’ve seen Nemkov get tired in a few of his fights. You can bet that Anglickas is going to be going for takedowns early on and he’s going to look to get the champion tired. However, Nemkov has shown the ability to stay on his feet and keep the fight at range.

When they’re striking, the Bellator champion has a big advantage. The movement and fluidity of strikes definitely favors Nemkov and I think that’s ultimately going to be the deciding factor. I wouldn’t rule out Anglickas landing a takedown here and there early on.

However, I think Nemkov is going to prove to be too much for the challenger. I think it’ll be more competitive than people thinking, but Nemkov is going to outstrike his way to another win and I think he gets a finish in the later rounds.

Prediction: Vadim Nemkov by TKO – Round 4

Bellator announces move to five-round main events

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Bellator was in the news yesterday with President Scott Coker having appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour. Coker was on the show to break a number of different news items including a couple of title fights.

However, Coker did announce that the promotion was making a big move in the way that they do main events. Bellator is now going to model in the UFC in that they will have five-round main events moving forward in 2022.

The UFC made this switch a few years ago and it’s been a big success for fans. Bellator has seen a number of great fights over the last couple of years in main events, but fans always felt a little let down with the three-round structure.

One thing that might’ve started this change process is the fight between Yoel Romero and Phil Davis a few weeks ago. After the fight concluded, Romero was confused because he thought their Bellator main event was five rounds.

Bellator’s Change

A confused Romero walked to the center of the octagon where Phil Davis won by split decision. Now, Romero has always been one of those guys who can explode and do something remarkable at any second.

Perhaps if their fight was two more rounds, he could’ve won his Bellator debut. Nevertheless, the rules are what they are and Romero fell short. Bellator had been kicking the tires on this change for some time and that might’ve been one of the things that pushed them over the edge.

As mentioned, this change will start at the beginning of 2022. Last week at Bellator 267, MVP edged out Douglas Lima in their rematch. Again, this was another three-round main event and there was so much talk about how this fight should’ve been five rounds.

There’s already internal conversations at Bellator regarding the trilogy between Page and Lima. I could see the promotion having the trilogy between the two as one of the first non-title five-round main events.

Bellator 267 Preview: Michael “Venom” Page – Douglas Lima 2

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Later this afternoon we are going to see a big time fight in the Bellator welterweight division. In today’s headliner, we are going to see the highly anticipated rematch between Michael “Venom” Page (19-1) and former Bellator champion, Douglas Lima (32-9).

This is a massive fight with huge implications for the career of Douglas Lima. Just a few fights ago, people were talking about Lima as one of the best fighters in the world regardless of promotion. He was the Bellator welterweight champ and he had a knockout over MVP.

Lima decided to try and become a two-division champion last year. He moved up to take on Gegard Mousasi at 185 pounds. He lost a lopsided decision in his failed attempt. Then he got dominated in his return to welterweight to lose his Bellator title.

Now, his back is against the wall against a hungry Michael Page. MVP has dazzled fans for some time now with his striking ability and his knockouts. He’s won five fights in a row since his shocking loss to Lima. Today, he’s in his hometown today looking for revenge.

Bellator 267 Prediction

I think we are going to see a very technical matchup on the feet at Bellator 267. MVP got a little too flashy in the last fight which is how he ultimately got knocked out. Yes, I know that is his traditional style.

However, I think he will be much more measured in this rematch because he knows he can’t lose to Lima twice. On the flip side, I expect to see the best version of Lima with his back against the wall like it is.

When it comes down to it, I really like MVP in this spot. I think he’s going to take a very measured approach with striking from the outside. In the end, I think he’ll land enough to score more points at Bellator 267.

I wouldn’t be surprised by a finish by either man, but I think we see a point battle with MVP coming out on top.

Prediction: Michael “Venom” Page by Unanimous Decision

Phil Davis made the right choice moving to Bellator years ago

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Phil Davis, MMA, UFC

This past weekend at Bellator 266, Phil Davis (23-6, 1 NC) was tasked with welcoming Yoel Romero (13-6) back to light heavyweight and to Bellator. Davis was coming off of a loss in the opening round of the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix against the champion Vadim Nemkov.

Davis had a great gameplan for Bellator 266. Romero is someone who likes to lull his opponents to sleep before exploding with something that catches them off guard. The problem for Romero is that Davis never quit moving.

He used great angles on the outside to work his jab and use his length. Then, in the second round, he started mixing in his wrestling which completely caught the former Olympic Silver Medalist off guard.

In the third round after realizing he could take Romero down, Davis went to the takedowns. Romero couldn’t get Davis off of him at Bellator 266 and as a result, Davis ended up walking away with a split decision victory.

That said, this fight was not a split decision. I think everyone in the world outside of the one judge who scored the fight for Romero knew that Davis one. Even Romero didn’t believe a scorecard went for him at Bellator 266.

Davis’ Bellator Career

Back in 2015, Davis became a free agent after having a good run in the UFC. Davis entered the UFC when he was just 4-0 and ended up going 9-3 during his 12 fights with the promotion.

Twice he got up to title eliminators, but both times he fell short of the mark. After losing a split decision to Ryan Bader, Davis tested out the market and made the surprising decision to sign with Bellator.

Upon signing with Bellator, Davis went a perfect 4-0 to start which included capturing the Bellator light heavyweight title. Now, he lost the title in his first title defense in another split decision to Ryan Bader.

However, Davis has now gone 10-3 with Bellator. After starting his career on the amateur circuit, Davis has gone a combined 19-6 on the biggest stage and he’s only lost to some of the best. His losses came against Ryan Bader (Twice), Vadim Nemkov (Twice), Rashad Evans, and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Quietly, he’s put together a sensational career, and I don’t think he’s done yet. If he can put together another win or two, he might be challenging for the Bellator light heavyweight title again sometime in 2021.