Bellator has stacked the deck for its second show of the weekend, with Bellator 232 set to deliver a packed night of fights at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The main event features a battle for the Bellator welterweight title and the $1 million tournament prize, while another of Bellator’s 170-pound stars looks to push his own title claims in the night’s co-headliner. Meanwhile, the main card also features the latest chapter in the career of one of the sport’s most remarkable athletes, as well as the eagerly awaited Bellator debut of one of the best kickboxers on the planet.
Here are four burning questions ahead of Saturday night’s fights.
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Does Rory MacDonald or Douglas Lima walk away with the belt … and $1 million?
The main event in Uncasville serves up a million-dollar championship rematch as Rory MacDonald looks to retain his title against the man he defeated to win the belt in January 2018, Douglas Lima, in the final of the Bellator welterweight grand prix.
MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 BMMA) followed up that title win with an unsuccessful shot at the middleweight strap before moving back home to 170 for the tournament and retaining his title with a draw against Jon Fitch and a unanimous decision over Neiman Gracie.
While MacDonald heads into the weekend with a loss, a draw and a win from his last three, Lima (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) arrives in Connecticut on the back of a submission over former champion Andrey Koreshkov and stunning knockout of Michael Page in the semfinals. On paper, at least, the Brazilian carries the momentum edge, but MacDonald is a big-game performer.
Will “The Red King” retain the title and walk away with the check, or will “The Phenom” become a three-time Bellator champ and bank a cool million in the process?
Will Paul explode back into title contention?
While MacDonald and Lima do battle for the belt in the main event, Paul Daley will look to steal the show from the co-main event slot and press his claim for a shot at the gold.
Daley’s tournament campaign ended with decision loss to Michael Page, but it came in a fight that saw Daley (41-17-2 MMA, 7-4 BMMA) deviate from his tried and trusted explosive striking approach. He instead attempted to outwrestle the slick counter-striker. It meant Daley exited the tournament without showing his full striking arsenal, but that familiar heavy-handed approach returned against Erick Silva earlier this year as he bounced back into the win column on home soil.
Expect more of the same from Daley this weekend against late replacement Saad Awad, who steps in for Sabah Homasi. Awad (23-12 MMA, 11-8 BMMA) will be desperate to pick up a big win after dropping each of his last three fights over the last 12 months, while Daley will be keen to make a statement with another impressive win. It should add up to a fascinating matchup, but who will prevail?
Will Nick Newell make it 2 for 2 inside the Bellator cage?
It seems like Nick Newell has been fighting for a fair shake for years and, when he got his shot on Dana White’s Contender Series, it felt like his time had finally arrived. Unfortunately, defeat to Alex Munoz in July 2018 halted that momentum, and his shot at the UFC drifted away.
Newell (16-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) bounced back on the regional circuit before being given a shot by Scott Coker and Bellator, and he took full advantage, defeating Corey Browning via first-round arm-triangle choke at Bellator 225 in August.
That performance earned Newell a multi-fight contract and now, with his fighting future on the big stage officially secured, “Notorious” returns to the Bellator cage on Saturday night against Luis Muro looking to secure back-to-back wins and kick off a winning streak with his new promoters.
Can Newell start to build some momentum in his new home, or will Muro (10-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) make a victorious return to the Bellator cage with a notable scalp?
Will Robin Van Roosmalen kick off his Bellator career with a win?
Dutch featherweight striker Robin van Roosmalen kicks off the main card in Uncasville in a bout that will unite fans from across the martial arts codes as they tune in to see how one of kickboxing’s biggest stars transitions to big-time MMA inside the Bellator cage.
Van Roosmalen (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) captured featherweight and lightweight kickboxing titles with GLORY before deciding to take the plunge and sign with Bellator. Now he’s training at Hard Knocks 365 under the tutelage of fellow countryman Henri Hooft and ready to make his Bellator debut this weekend.
Van Roosmalen dipped his toe in the MMA waters with two fights for Final Fight Championship in 2016 and 2017 and picked up a pair of knockout victories. Now, two and a half years on from his last MMA outing, Van Roosmalen is ready to unleash his skills on the big stage, and he’ll take on Portland, Oregon native Cris Lencioni (5-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) who went the distance with rising featherweight prospect Tywan Claxton in August last year.
Can Van Roosmalen make a winning start to life with Bellator, or will Lencioni’s superior MMA experience prove the deciding factor?
