DUBLIN – The atmospheric 3Arena plays host to Bellator’s latest show in Europe as the dual-card Bellator 227/Bellator Europe 4 event takes place Friday in Ireland.
The event boasts 18 bouts overall but, ahead of a packed night of fights, what are the burning questions occupying us here on the ground in Dublin ahead of Friday night’s big event?
Will Jury return a winning verdict and arrive in Bellator with a bang?
Myles Jury makes his Bellator debut in the main event of Bellator 227 on Friday, with one of MMA’s legendary active fighters facing him across the cage.
Benson Henderson has won titles in the WEC and the UFC and is looking to complete the set with repeat success in Bellator. And with a run of three straight victories in his last three outings, the momentum is starting to build.
But Jury (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), whose tally of knockout victories stretches into double figures, will be keen to make a positive impact, especially after narrowly missing weight for his debut outing. But in Henderson (27-8 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) he faces a man who has been there, seen it and done it all in MMA.
Will Henderson’s in-cage savvy prove the difference-maker, or can “Fury” Jury upset the applecart and claim a big-name scalp on his promotional debut?
Will James Gallagher deliver the goods on home soil?
Irish bantamweight James Gallagher will have a packed crowd in his corner on fight night when he takes on last-minute replacement opponent Roman Salazar in the featherweight main event of the Bellator Europe 4 card. Gallagher (9-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) is understandably considered the pre-fight favorite, but Salazar (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who has had experience of fighting on the big stage in the past, is unlikely to be overawed by the occasion.
There was some weigh-in drama on Thursday when Salazar came in way over the contracted 140-pound limit, forcing a renegotiation that resulted in the bout now being contracted at 145 pounds, and with 20 percent of Salazar’s purse heading Gallagher’s way. It adds another layer of spice to the matchup as both men look to prove a point in the main event.
Gallagher calls his fights “The Jimmy Show” and after seeing his opponent fail to make weight, he’ll be doubly determined to claim the win on home soil. Salazar, meanwhile, will be desperate to pick up a win bonus after giving up a fifth of his show money to the Dubliner.
Can MVP bounce back in welterweight grudge match?
England’s Michael Page takes on Dubliner Richard Kiely in the co-main event of Bellator Europe 4 in a bout that is full of bad blood, and more than likely to deliver a highlight-reel finish. But which man will be left celebrating?
Both Page (14-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) and Kiely (3-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) feel their particular brand of striking will prove to be the other’s Kryptonite, with Page believing Kiely isn’t in his class, and Kiely suggesting that he was the worst possible style matchup for the Englishman following his welterweight grand prix semifinal loss to Douglas Lima. And, with both clearly steadfast in that belief, a fascinating stand-up matchup looks set to ensue.
If the more seasoned Page gets the victory, it could set him up for something big in November when Bellator returns to London, while victory for the super-confident Kiely could take the roof off the 3Arena and catapult him to instant stardom. With both men more than capable of ending fights in an instant, the old adage, “don’t blink” seems appropriate.
Which lightweight striker will win the war at welterweight?
After striking a fight-week gentlemen’s agreement to switch up their bout from a lightweight clash to a welterweight matchup, fellow crowd-pleasing strikers Peter Queally and Ryan Scope are also in unison that their matchup could produce some of the biggest fireworks of the night.
There mutual respect between the pair, but don’t think for a second that it will take the edge off their matchup. Scope (11-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) is desperate to grab a headline-making win after his narrow decision loss to Patricky Freire on his Bellator debut, while Queally (11-5-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) is looking to bounce back from his own razor-thin defeat on the scorecards (to Myles Price) as he attempts to prove that he belongs in the upper echelon of the Bellator 155-pound division.
Both men are slick, possess fast hands and have shown they have no qualms about going toe to toe and trusting their skills in a standup war. In short, Queally and Scope possess all the ingredients to serve up a “Fight of the Night” candidate. But which man will get the win?
