(Editor’s note: This story originally published on Aug. 23.)
The bright lights of the Bellator cage will shine down on a host of heavyweights as the big men of the roster take center stage at Bellator 225 in Bridgeport, Conn.
The five-fight main card features three heavyweight matchups, including the main event rematch between Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov, while the 11-bout preliminary card includes the likes of Austin Vanderford, Ricky Bandejas and Nick Newell making his promotional debut.
Here are four burning questions heading into Saturday night’s event:
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Which heavyweight will stake claim to a title shot next?
Bellator 225 is a showcase of the promotion’s big men, with the result of the top two bouts of the night likely to shape the heavyweight title picture for the months ahead.
Mitrione (13-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) and Kharitonov (29-7 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) face off in the main event in a rerun of their Bellator 215 bout back in February. On that night, a misplaced inside leg kick from Mitrione landed squarely, and powerfully, in Kharitonov’s cup, ending their first meeting as a no contest after just 15 seconds.
Now the two heavyweight big hitters will meet again, with the winner likely to find himself in pole position to face the winner of next mont’s Bellator 226 title fight between champion Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo.
But before Mitrione and Kharitonov throw down in the main event, fellow heavyweights Vitaly Minakov and Javy Ayala have a chance to steal the show in the co-main event. Former Bellator champ Minakov (21-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) suffered his first career loss last time out in a disappointing display against Kongo and will be determined to make amends with a big win against Ayala (11-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA).
But the big Russian will know that Ayala’s punch power warrants respect. Just ask Minakov’s fellow countryman, Kharitonov, who was starched with one swing of Ayala’s right hand in just 16 seconds at Bellator 163 back in 2016.
Whose ‘0’ is gonna go when Fortune and Schaffroth collide?
While the top of the bill offers a doubleheader of heavyweight matchups, the main-card opener also features a heavyweight battle, as fellow undefeated prospects Tyrell Fortune and Rudy Schaffroth collide looking to improve their respective 6-0 records.
Only one man can be successful, of course, and it should present an interesting test for both athletes. Fortune (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) is an elite wrestler, who has made clear his intention to drag Schaffroth (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) into deep water before finishing him, while Schaffroth’s record has featured nothing but quick finishes, as he has put away each and every one of his opponents in the first round, with only one of them surviving beyond the 3-minute mark.
Will Schaffroth catch Fortune early and add the former U.S. wrestling team member to his list of quickfire stoppage victims, or will Fortune use that strong wrestling base to take Schaffroth off his feet and out of his comfort zone? It should be a fun one to kick off the card.
Can Ricky Bandejas bounce back at bantamweight?
When Ricky Bandejas made his Bellator debut, he found himself stood across the cage from rising Irish star James Gallagher. “The Strabanimal’s” trash talk continued all the way up to the moment the bell rang.
Then it was Gallagher who got his bell rung.
Bandejas (11-3 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) knocked out Gallagher to register a headline-making win and announce himself as a possible rising star of the bantamweight division. But since then things haven’t gone according to plan. He went the distance in a competitive fight with the in-form Juan Archuleta, but was unable to bounce back in his subsequent outing as he was submitted in the first round by Patrick Mix.
Bandejas has sat back, taken stock and made the decision to move his training camp from New Jersey to Florida, where he now calls American Top Team home. With more time on the mats and a room full of killers to train with, Bandejas is hopeful that he can reignite his career, starting Saturday against Ahmet Kayretli (8-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).
Victory could open things up nicely for Bandejas in a wide-open Bellator 135-pound division. But he knows he needs to deliver the goods in Bridgeport.
How will Nick Newell fare in his Bellator debut?
It wasn’t all that long ago that there was a real clamor for Nick Newell to be given his chance in the UFC. That chance never came, and when he was given an opportunity to impress his way onto the UFC roster in Dana White’s Contender Series last year, the former WSOF lightweight title challenger lost a decision.
Newell (15-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) went back to the drawing board and bounced back with a first-round rear-naked choke victory for regional promotion CES MMA before getting a call-up to Bellator for this weekend’s event.
The Bellator matchmakers have handed him a tricky first assignment, too. Corey Browning may have fewer fights on his record than Newell, but he has already built a reputation for claiming high-profile scalps inside the Bellator cage.
Browning (5-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) marked his Bellator debut by halting the three-fight win streak of “Baby Slice” Kevin Ferguson Jr., then repeated the trick when he handed British former MTV reality star Aaron Chalmers the first defeat of his emerging MMA career. Newell represents a step up in competition but offers a chance for Browning to claim a high-profile hat-trick.
Will Browning make it three big-name wins in a row, or will Newell kick off his Bellator career with a win?
