Scott Coker

What really happened with Michael “Venom” Page at Bellator 248

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This past weekend, Bellator 248 made history as the first major MMA event in France after it’s legalization earlier this year. One of the headliners for the promotion was the dynamic Michael “Venom” Page (18-1).

Page was set to take on the previously unbeaten Ross Houston (8-1, 1 NC) in the main event of Bellator 248. MVP was coming off of three consecutive knockout finishes, and he was looking for another statement win this past Saturday.

Page has been trying to get a rematch with Bellator‘s welterweight champion Douglas Lima. Lima knocked out Page back at Bellator 221 which is still MVP’s only professional loss. Given the magnitude of the event and Page’s popularity, a lot of eyes were on Bellator 248.

While there was very high expectations, the main event completely failed to deliver. The MMA community was expecting a back and forth war with one man eventually going down. Instead, what they got was a grinding decision for Michael Page. A flop of a main event for the promotion.

After the fight was over, Page made the claim that the Bellator mat was extremely slippery. For that reason, he couldn’t execute his game plan. Meanwhile, Scott Coker came out and said that he believed MVP’s off night was due to the fact that he’s been inactive this year.

What really happened at Bellator 248

I don’t want to come across as a hater, but I find the slippery surface excuse to be a little far fetched. There were no complaints from other fighters when it came to the Bellator fighting surface on Saturday night. Everyone else seemed to perform just fine.

It also certainly didn’t look like Page was having trouble keeping his footing. However, just because he didn’t visibly slip a ton doesn’t mean he didn’t feel stable. He very well might have felt that the mat wasn’t sturdy enough for his flashy techniques.

However, I believe that Bellator President Scott Coker was more on point with his assessment. To me, Page just appeared to be a little off overall. It looked like his timing wasn’t completely there and he just didn’t seem comfortable inside the cage.

I think the fact that Houston was a very dangerous opponent didn’t help things. I think the fact that Page didn’t feel comfortable, he was facing a dangerous opponent, and the fact that it was his first fight of 2020 led to the lackluster Bellator 248 performance.

No matter how you slice it, the main event really failed the promotion in a big way. Bellator had the chance to make a big statement being the first to host an event in France, but the promotion failed to deliver an entertaining main event.

Corey Anderson to make Bellator debut against Melvin Manhoef

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Corey Anderson

Bellator has announced it’s headliner for their fight night on November 5th. President Scott Coker told CBS Sports Network today that newly signed Corey Anderson (13-5) will be taking on Melvin Manhoef (32-14-1, 2 NC) in his promotional debut.

This will be the first Bellator fight for Manhoef in 2020. The 44 year old returned to the Bellator cage in 2019 where he went 2-0 against Kent Kauppinen and Yannick Bahati. Manhoef is known for his dangerous striking which was on display against Bahati.

Having fought all around the world, Manhoef is not going to be afraid of this moment. He’s got the striking and the power to put anyone out who stands in front of him. This is a very tough stylistic matchup for him, but don’t expect him to shy away.

Throughout his career, Manhoef has fought for all the big promotions outside the UFC. He’s fought in Bellator, ONE, Strikeforce, Dream, and K1 throughout his long career. He’s been in there against some big names from Robbie Lawler to Gegard Mousasi.

Bellator Debut for Anderson

Bellator made waves a while back when they announced that they had signed Corey Anderson. Anderson was the fourth ranked light heavyweight in the UFC, but he decided to ask for his release. Upon getting his release Bellator scooped him up right away.

Coming into 2020, Anderson looked to be primed for a title shot in the UFC. However, he was knocked out in the first round by the current UFC champion, Jan Blachowicz back in February. That completely derailed his plans.

Following a health scare, Anderson decided to ask the UFC for more money. When the UFC wasn’t willing to give him more, he asked for his release. Shortly after, he landed a lucrative contract with Bellator and he’s expected to be a force in their light heavyweight division.

While Anderson will have to be aware of Manhoef’s striking, this is a very winnable fight for Anderson. If he utilizes his wrestling skills to the best of his ability, he should be able to get a win while getting his feet wet in the Bellator cage.

Bellator makes a couple of big Russian signings (Reports)

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Bellator is in the news today for a couple of big signings that were reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. One of the big signings for the promotion was signing UFC vet Rustam Khabilov (24-4) to a multiple fight deal.

Bellator has been really aggressive lately in trying to build their talent base. Khabilov is a veteran of the sport, but he should be a top contender in Bellator‘s lightweight division. Khabilov last fought for the UFC in November.

Prior to signing with Bellator, Khabilov had gone 7-1 in his last eight fights with the UFC. His lone loss coming at the hands of Diego Ferreira last February. The most notable victory on Khabilov’s record was a victory over Jorge Masvidal back in 2013.

While it’s not the sexiest signing in the world, it’s still a big one for Bellator‘s lightweight division. In my opinion the biggest signing announcement came when the UFC’s lightweight champion announced the promotion had signed his undefeated cousin Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0).

Massive signing for Bellator

Many people in the industry thought that the UFC would sign Usman Nurmagomedov. However, it was Scott Coker and Bellator that swooped in and signed the undefeated Russian prospect. There are many that are extremely high on this kid.

At just 23 years old, Nurmagomedov has already 11 fights which include 10 victories coming by stoppage. Nurmagomedov has very good Muay Thai skills to go along with good grappling skills. Some have said he’s going to be better than his older cousin.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered by many to be the best fighter in the world. For some people to say that Usman is going to be better than Khabib is extremely high praise. The top prospect is expected to make his Bellator debut in December or January. Expect the fast track treatment for the top Russian lightweight.

Bellator: Douglas Lima and Gegard Mousasi to battle for the middleweight crown

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Things are moving fast and furious for Bellator MMA on this Friday afternoon. This morning it was confirmed that the promotion would be hosting the first major MMA event in the country of France.

Shortly after, President Scott Coker announced that the promotion would be moving to CBS Sports Network. However, the announcements didn’t stop there. Bellator announced that welterweight champion, Douglas Lima (32-7), would be taking on Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) for the middleweight title on October 29th.

Another Bellator Double Champ?

Bellator‘s welterweight champion is looking to become another one of the promotion’s double champs. They had two before Ryan Bader lost at Bellator 244, now Patricio Pitbull is the only one. Douglas Lima is looking to take the champ-champ status.

Since 2016, Lima has looked incredible inside the cage. He’s gone 6-1 with his lone loss coming to Rory MacDonald. Lima got a rematch with MacDonald back in October of 2019 and dominated him to get that loss back. Prior to that win, Lima had a highlight reel knockout of Michael Page back at Bellator 221.

Gegard Mousasi left the UFC back in 2017 for a better deal with Bellator. Mousasi was one of the best middleweights in the world which is why Bellator gave him a great deal. Mousasi won his first three fights and was the Bellator middleweight champion.

Then, at Bellator 223, Mousasi lost by majority decision to Rafael Lovato Jr. Lovato was originally going to be the one to fight Lima, but due to a brain condition, Lovato relinquished the middleweight title. Mousasi will now get another crack at the title.

Mousasi is coming off of a split decision win over Lyoto Machida last September. This is a massive fight for the promotion. There are a lot of exciting things going on in Bellator right now, and fights of this magnitude will continue to draw fans in.

Bellator’s Changing TV Networks

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Bellator President Scott Coker made a big announcement today for the promotion. For the last couple of years, the promotion has called the Paramount Network home.

However, starting on October 1st, Bellator will be moving to CBS Sports Network. Tomorrow night will mark the final card that will take place on Paramount for Bellator.

Bellator‘s parent company, ViacomCBS, made the decision to move the promotion over to a network that is focused on sports. This comes on the heels of the Viacom and CBS merger in December.

What it means for Bellator?

Bellator will be making the move on October 1st over the CBS Sports Network. That card will take place from Milan and it will be headlined by Paul Daley (41-17-2) and Derek Anderson (16-3). The next card will be the first major MMA event in France.

Coker said that this move to the CBS Sports network was years in the making. One of the problems that Bellator has ran into in the past was airing live events that were not domestic. With the limitations of Paramount, many times fans couldn’t see the action live.

However, with the move to a dedicated sports network, the promotion will have the full ability to bring fans live fights wherever they are. Coker was asked about Bellator eventually getting a slot on the national CBS channel for some of their big fights.

“What I will say is this is one family (ViacomCBS). I believe that one day we will get there. But for now, CBS Sports Network,” Coker said to the media. This is the smart move by ViacomCBS to get Bellator on a sports driven platform.

This by no means puts them on a competitive level with the UFC and ESPN, but moving to a sports driven network is a great move for Bellator as they continue to look to evolve.

Does Bellator have a better light heavyweight division than the UFC?

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UFC, Dana White

Last week, Bellator President Scott Coker made some pretty bold statements about his promotion’s light heavyweight division. He said that they had the best light heavyweight division in the world after Jon Jones vacated his UFC light heavyweight title to move to heavyweight.

After Vadim Nemkov knocked out Ryan Bader at Bellator 244, Coker doubled down on his claim that they were better than the UFC. “When Jon Jones moving up to heavyweight, clearly we have the best division.”

Bellator’s claim

The UFC also had an event this weekend. After the event, the media asked UFC President Dana White about Coker’s claims that Bellator had the better light heavyweight division. With a big smile, White replied to the media, “Isn’t he cute?”

Bellator has some very solid guys in their light heavyweight division. Nemkov, Phil Davis, Corey Anderson, Lyoto Machida, and others. You can throw Bader in too although I’m sure he’s going to be sticking to heavyweight after that fight.

Those are all very solid fighters, but the UFC president made a point that rings very true about their light heavyweight division. He stated, “Everyone they have in their light heavyweight division, we let go of. That’s like the dumbest f–king thing I’ve ever heard.”

Anderson, Machida, Bader, and Davis were all former members of the UFC that the promotion let walk. I understand what Scott Coker is trying to do with making his statement. However, I’m not sure the statement holds a lot of weight.

The UFC is better at the top

The UFC doesn’t have the same stacked light heavyweight division they once had, but it’s still the best game in town. Corey Anderson was ranked fourth in the UFC prior to him being signed by Bellator, but he was just starched earlier this year by Jan Blachowicz.

I believe that Dominick Reyes is better than anyone in Bellator. I also believe that the best version of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is better than anyone inside of Bellator’s light heavyweight division.

If the four best UFC light heavyweights (Reyes, Blachowicz, Johnson, Thiago Santos) fought the four best Bellator light heavyweights (Nemkov, Anderson, Davis, Bader), would you favor any of the Bellator guys?

The answer to that question is probably no. Bellator has a good light heavyweight division, but it is not better than the UFC‘s. This round goes to Dana White and the guys in the UFC.

Paige VanZant close to deal with Bare Knuckle FC?

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Paige VanZant

Bare Knuckle FC is reportedly close to landing a deal which would secure their most main stream star yet. According to MMA reporter, Mike Russell, Paige VanZant is nearing a deal with Bare Knuckle FC.

Shortly after that news came out, Eric Kowal, who works for Bare Knuckle FC said on Twitter that he could confirm talks, but nothing was close at this time.

Bare Knuckle FC and PVZ is an odd marriage

If the deal comes together between VanZant and Bare Knuckle, I would be incredible surprised. PVZ is coming off of a loss to Amanda Ribas back at UFC 251 in the last fight of her contract.

UFC president Dana White said that it would be wise for VanZant to test the free agent market. PVZ had been vocal about getting paid more for Instagram posts versus her UFC fights.

Bare Knuckle FC was founded back in 2018. Since the promotion has opened it’s doors, it has welcomed many UFC veterans from Chris Leben to Hector Lombard to Artem Lobov. They even featured former boxing champion, Paulie Malignaggi.

Signing VanZant would be a smart move by Bare Knuckle as they attempt to become a little more mainstream. While PVZ is not one of the best in the world, she would bring additional eyes to Bare Knuckle.

When VanZan’s contract ran up, I made the assumption that she would sign with Bellator given the interest from Scott Coker and the fact that her husband, Austin Vanderford, also fights for Bellator.

We don’t know any of the details at this time, but if Bare Knuckle is getting close to a deal, my guess is they are offering a very high number for PVZ.

Bellator MMA preparing for July 24th return

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Per multiple reports, Bellator MMA is ready to open their doors. Bellator is expected to have a three-month residency at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Unvasville, Connecticut. We have not seen any Bellator action since the promotion halted production back in early March.

Per MMA Fighting, the deal is a partnership with Showtime Championship Boxing who will also be sharing the arena. There are multiple hurdles still to overcome, but the promotion is focused on getting back to action in a couple of weeks.

Exciting Bellator Matchups Upcoming

There are no dates just yet, but there are several matchups that should get MMA fans excited about Bellator returning. One of the matchups that sticks out to me is the matchup between Douglas Lima (32-7) and Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) for the vacant middleweight title. Lima is truly one of the best fighters in the world, and I’m interested to see if he can become a two-division world champion in Bellator.

Another fight I’m interested in is the rematch between Michael Chandler (20-5) and Benson Henderson (28-8). Chandler has long been considered one of the better lightweights in the world. He’s coming up on his last fight under his current Bellator deal, and he’s expected to test out free agency. If he wins impressively, expect several promotions to come calling with good offers.

Of course you have to think Bellator will move quickly to book the anticipated matchup between Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (30-4) and Pedro Carvalho (11-3). Pitbull is one of the best fighters in the world. He’s currently one of two double-champs in Bellator. There was some heat in this matchup, and it was just days from happening before the pandemic shut everything down.

More Fights for Fans

Dana White and the UFC have done a tremendous job of getting sports going over the last couple of months. However, now that Bellator is coming back, fight fans are going to see even more action. You have to think Bellator is going to come out strong after being behind for the last few months.