The Bellator cage makes its return to the United Kingdom for a slightly unusual mash-up event.
Saturday’s show, which takes place at The SSE Arena at Wembley, will act as a double feature, with Bellator Europe 3 and Bellator 223 taking place in the same arena, on the same night, in front of the same set of British fans.
The card is deep with 19 fights in all and bouts being shown across a range of broadcast and streaming outlets – DAZN and Paramount via tape delay and live on the Bellator app for the U.S. market, and Channel 5, Sky Sports and the Bellator app for the U.K. market.
But while deciphering which channel/streaming service you need to be glued to might be a trickier-than-normal task, fans prepared to do their pre-fight homework should be rewarded with a night of fun fights, with a nice mix of experienced stars, future contenders and local prospects set to throw down.
Here are six burning questions ahead of what promises to be a packed night at Wembley.
Can Gegard Mousasi avoid a BJJ banana-skin?
On paper, Gegard Mousasi should claim a straightforward win over grappling ace Rafael Lovato Jr.. But, as we all know, this crazy sport is anything but straightforward.
Mousasi (45-6-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has fallen foul of unexpected defeats – remember his shock stoppage loss to Uriah Hall – and that might prove to be a handy reference point heading into the main event vs. Lovato (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), because if “The Dreamcatcher” takes his eye off the ball, he could end up getting submitted.
Lovato might be at a striking disadvantage against the slick standup of Mousasi, but his knockout punch lies in his grappling game. If you end up on the mat with Lovato, chances are you’ll be tapping in short order.
The path to victory for Mousasi is an obvious one – keep it on the feet and catch Lovato with strikes. But faced with a man who can finish a fight on the mat almost as quickly as Mousasi can end it on the feet, the dangers are real as the Dutchman looks to retain the middleweight title he won in London last year at Bellator 200.
Will Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley make an explosive return?
Paul Daley didn’t get his “Semtex” nickname by shooting double-legs and dragging fighters to the ground, but that’s how he chose to fight in his decision loss to Michael Page last time out.
Daley (40-17-2 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) maintains his tactics were sound and his performance was good enough to get the win, but the judges felt otherwise, and now the Nottingham man is looking to return to his winning ways against a man who might just be tailor-made for him style-wise.
Based on his past performances, Erick Silva is a bit of a wild man. He comes forward, looking to strike, but he’s also a danger on the mat with his jiu-jitsu. But whether Silva (20-10 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) is on the feet or on the ground, he’s always one thing – aggressive.
Daley says that aggression will prove to be Silva’s downfall and predicted he would punish the Brazilian as he looks to close the distance.
Daley predicts a highlight-reel finish, and he’s registered plenty on these shores in his career. Now, in the 60th professional fight of his career, the man who nicknamed himself after a type of plastic explosive is looking to detonate another knockout on an unsuspecting opponent.
Whatever happens, with these two finish-chasing welterweights going head to head, it seems almost inconceivable that the judges will be needed for this one.
Will James Gallagher’s ‘Jimmy Show live up to its billing?
James Gallagher (8-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) has been calling this weekend’s event “The Jimmy Show,” and unlike the “Game of Thrones” cast, the star of this particular show has been more than happy to dish out some pre-show spoilers, telling everyone that he’s going to submit Jeremiah Labiano (12-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA).
While not a headliner on either of the two televised cards this weekend, Gallagher has come across very much as a main-event star, owning the stage during the press conference and generating plenty of attention online after he confronted Labiano’s team at Thursday’s press conference.
The fight itself should be an interesting one, too. Labiano is a different type of character to Gallagher, but he seems almost as confident as the Irishman. It could produce a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, with Labiano looking to hand submission ace Gallagher another stoppage loss.
Gallagher appears to have polarized the fans, who either love the guy or can’t stand him. But either way, his fight with Labiano has become must-see TV.
Is Melvin Manhoef still as terrifying as he used to be?
Dutch knockout artist Melvin Manhoef (30-14-1 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) returns from a two-year hiatus on Saturday night against English striker Kent Kauppinen (11-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a bout that seems almost certain to end up with one of them staring up at the SSE Arena lights.
Kauppinen went to Italy stunned local hero Alessio Sakara inside a round in his last Bellator appearance and, make no mistake, he has the power to end Manhoef’s night. He’s cool, calm, collected and ready to make a statement on the biggest stage of his career.
But Manhoef at his best is an absolute monster, and we saw glimpses of that when he faced off with Kauppinen at the ceremonial weigh-ins. During the face-off the Dutchman was bouncing up and down in ominous fashion, looking like he was ready to explode.
Will we see that explosion on Saturday night, or can the ice-cool Kauppinen slay a legend and propel himself to even bigger fights further down the line? Whatever happens, I suspect neither the judges nor the cornermen’s stools will be required for this one.
Will Fabian Edwards claim another victim?
Fabian Edwards’ nickname of “The Assassin” is certainly an appropriate one. Seven fights, seven wins and six finishes have seen the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards generate some serious hype of his own. And now the time may soon be coming for Scott Coker to put the promotional rocket pack on him and see how high he can go.
Edwards (7-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) faces Frenchman Jonathan Bosuku (7-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) this weekend at Bellator London looking for another spectacular finish. If he gets it, expect him to start knocking on Coker’s door, asking for some big-name opposition.
Coker and Bellator’s head of Europe David Green may well have a star on their hands, and they’re clearly looking to bring him on gradually. But there’s only so many stunning finishes people can watch before the clamor for big fights becomes too loud to ignore.
Another eye-catching finish this weekend will turn up the volume another notch or two.
Who is Bellator’s top European middleweight contender?
Flying under the radar, but set to feature on the Paramount/DAZN broadcast, is a preliminary card bout that could unofficially crown a Bellator European middleweight champion, as fellow rising contenders Mike Shipman (13-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and Costello van Steenis (11-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) go head to head.
England’s former BAMMA champion Shipman has heavy hands and a penchant for knockouts, while Dutch ace van Steenis comes from Gegard Mousasi’s camp and is just as capable of finishing fights early.
The winner could well find themselves installed as a Top 5 contender in the Bellator middleweight division, so big matchups undoubtedly await the victor. It’s as well-matched a fight as you’ll find on this card.
For more on Bellator London, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
