The Bellator cage returns to the familiar surroundings of the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., on Friday for Bellator 239 as a pair of surging welterweight contenders face off in the main event looking to position themselves for a shot at reigning 170-pound champion Douglas Lima.
The welterweight clash between Ed Ruth and Yaroslav Amosov headlines a packed card that features a range of narratives worth following as a host of rising stars look to make an impact.
Without further ado, here are our four burning questions heading in.
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Which rising welterweight star will move one step closer to a title shot?
Ruth (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) has been considered a blue-chip prospect from the moment he inked his first fight contract with Bellator. Now nine fights into his MMA career, the former Penn State wrestling standout has the well-rounded skillset to make him a legitimate threat to the very best in the division.
With the dust still settling after the Bellator welterweight grand prix tournament, Ruth is eyeing a run at Lima’s 170-pound title but faces an acid test in the form of undefeated Ukrainian Amosov (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who followed up decision wins in his first two Bellator outings with an impressive submission of tough veteran David Rickels in his most recent appearance.
Amosov’s grappling-based attack should make for a fascinating contest with wrestling phenom Ruth, and the fight might end up being decided by whomever has the better striking.
The welterweight division is wide open right now, and a decisive win for either man could push them toward the front of the queue to face Lima later in the year. But who will leave Thackerville with the win?
Will the second time be a charm for Myles Jury?
After a 12-fight run in the UFC, Myles Jury swapped the octagon for the Bellator cage, but “The Fury” wasn’t able to kick off life in his new promotion with a debut victory.
Jury (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) was edged out on the scorecards by former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 227 in Dublin in September 2019, and he returns to action in Thackerville looking to pick up a victory at the second time of asking.
Jury will take on Brandon Girtz, who returned from a one-year layoff to pick up a hard-earned victory over Saad Awad at Bellator 219 in March 2019. Now he’s looking to kick off his 2020 with a notable victory over the former UFC hot prospect.
Will Jury get things right second time around, or can Girtz (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) claim back-to-back victories and head toward the summer with real momentum?
Will Tyrell Fortune cash in with his ninth straight win?
Rising heavyweight prospect Tyrell Fortune has had to fight two battles during his Bellator career as he’s faced a series of opponents inside the cage, while coping with his desire to move more swiftly up the heavyweight pecking order.
Bellator’s slow and steady approach to developing Fortune has paid dividends so far, with the powerful wrestler-turned-MMA fighter registering six finishes from his eight appearances.
Bellator 239 will see Fortune (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) face the most significant opponent of his career so far, as he takes on seasoned veteran Timothy Johnson, who is chasing his first win as a Bellator fighter after suffering back-to-back first-round knockouts at the hands of Cheick Kongo and Vitaly Minakov.
Despite those quickfire losses, Johnson (12-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) showed himself to be a solid operator during his UFC tenure, and it will be interesting to see how Fortune approaches his matchup with the 34-year-old, who has gone the distance with the likes of Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura and Jared Rosholt during his career.
Will Fortune claim his fifth straight finish and move one step closer to the division’s big names, or will Johnson prove a trickier assignment than his recent form suggests?
Is Denise Kielholtz ready for a flyweight title push?
Dutch flyweight Denise Kielholtz’s transition from kickboxing to MMA has been impressive to watch so far in her Bellator career. Now “Miss Dynamite” stands on the cusp of a breakthrough moment.
Kielholtz (4-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) has been developing her MMA skills under the bright lights of the Bellator cage, and her only defeat since joining the promotion came against title challenger Veta Arteaga back in September 2018.
But Kielholtz has bounced back superbly from that setback and heads into Thackerville riding a two-fight win streak, with her most recent display producing an impressive submission finish of fellow striker Sabriye Sengul at Bellator Europe 6 in London in November 2019.
She’ll take on “Warhorse” Kristina Williams, who has wins over boxing star Heather Hardy and Brazilian prospect Bruna Ellen on her record. She’s also shown her ability to take seasoned opposition the distance, as evidenced by her decision loss to former UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau.
In short, Williams (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) should prove a stern test of Kielholtz’s growing MMA credentials, and should act as an ideal audition for the Dutch starlet to prove her worth as a potential title challenger in the next 12-18 months.
Victory over Williams would prove that she’s getting closer to the division’s best names, but Williams will see “Miss Dynamite” as a tempting scalp to claim as she looks to build her own resume in an exciting division in 2020.
