MMA Junkie Radio co-host and MMA Junkie contributor Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 220.
Bellator 220 takes place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Rory MacDonald (20-5 MMA, 2-1 BMMA)
Staple info:
- Height: 6’0″ Age: 29 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 76″
- Last fight: TKO loss to Gegard Mousasi (Sept. 9, 2018)
- Camp: Tristar/Toshido MMA (Canada)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ Bellator welterweight champion
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 7 KO victories
+ 7 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ Long and accurate jab
^ Manages distance well
+ Solid kicking acumen
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Diverse takedown ability
^ Well-timed level changes
+ Excellent transitional grappler
^ Works well from topside
Jon Fitch (32-7-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA)
Staple info:
- Height: 6’0″ Age: 30 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach:74″
- Last fight: Decision win over Paul Daley (May 12, 2018)
- Camp: American Kickboxing Academy (San Jose, Calif.)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ WSOF welterweight title
+ PFL welterweight title
+ Division I All-American wrestler
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 7 KO victories
+ 5 submission wins
+ 4 first-round finishes
+ Relentless pace and pressure
+ Serviceable striking ability
^ Primarily uses to close distance
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Solid wrestling/takedowns
^ Favors attempts from the fence
+ Excellent transitional grappler
^ Works well from topside
Point of interest: Getting past the jab
The main event in San Jose features arguably the most important installment of Bellator’s grand prix, given that the welterweight title will be on the line.
Jon Fitch, who will be making his sophomore appearance in the organization, will get the chance to become the promotion’s oldest champion should he get past the jab (among other threats) of the incumbent king, Rory MacDonald.
A strike that serves as a distancing tool for both defensive and offensive purposes, such a weapon can be a fighter’s best friend when up against a suffocating force such a Fitch.
Despite being at an on-paper disadvantage in the striking the department for most of his fights, Fitch has found ways to make his style work, all while making quiet improvements along the way.
The former Purdue wrestling captain is not as stiff and robotic as he once was when standing, showing that he can string together hooks, crosses and kicks when needed. More importantly to this matchup, Fitch has also done a better job at moving his head off of his strikes, rolling out to the appropriate sides when making his approach.
If Fitch can successfully mix things up enough to make himself a hard target for MacDonald to measure, then he could very well make exchanges more intriguing down the stretch. That said, there are many layers to the sitting champion’s repertoire that have been present for some time.
Developing his overall game from a young age, MacDonald showed early on that he was on a collision course to do battle with the sport’s finest. Uprooting the kickboxing skills he acquired at Toshido MMA in Vancouver, MacDonald later ended up expanding his training camp to the Tristar Gym in Montreal.
There, we would see the rise of MacDonald’s jab.
Building all the fundamentals to facilitate his newfound tool, MacDonald immediately implemented it into his game. Staying long and measured, MacDonald was better able to set up his attacks, whether he was looking for high kicks or takedowns.
When facing skilled strikers like Tarec Saffiedine, MacDonald was able to utilize his jab to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm, tagging him whenever he would switch stances. Against power punchers like Tyron Woodley or Jake Ellenberger, MacDonald demonstrated to ability manage range to his terms, controlling the pace of the fight. If the 29-year-old Canadian can find his rhythm and create space early, then it could spell trouble for the 41-year-old challenger.
Next point of interest: Grappling vs. grinding
Point of interest: Grappling vs. grinding
Both men are strong grapplers, but the grinding style of Fitch is a different kind of threat that can prove to be painfully effective.
A wrestler who embraced the grappling arts early, Fitch was one of the early leaders when it came to hybrid grappling applications in MMA. Under the care of coaches like Dave Camarillo, Fitch was able to apply his wrestling prowess into a positionally-savvy blanket (and I mean that as a compliment) that could break down and control the best of fighters.
From controlling posts to properly distributing his weight, Fitch has no issue in waiting out or forcing poor positional choices from his opponent with relentless, point-scoring strikes. But as dominant as most of Fitch’s affairs have been, he is not beyond being taken down when the other party is talented enough to take the grappling initiatives.
Enter MacDonald.
From his patented power-double takedown to the chaining ability he displayed against both Paul Daley and Douglas Lima, MacDonald has multiple methods of getting this fight to the floor (should he choose to do so).
The 13-year pro is more than capable of turning the tables on paper, but Fitch – even when taken down – is not one to accept bottom position and is usually able to create space to get back to his feet. That said, working from topside has long been a staple and specialty of MacDonald’s game.
From fighting for inside hand position to maintaining his base and balance, MacDonald has shown the ability to deliver fight-changing ground strikes. Nevertheless, if MacDonald is not able to get anything meaningful going in the grappling portions of this contest, then we could see Fitch use these stanzas to stymie the sitting champ’s momentum and muddy up the scorecards.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public seem to be heavily favoring the champion, listing MacDonald -400 and Fitch +325 as of this writing.
Between MacDonald’s long-respected prospects and Fitch’s style and age, I suppose I can see why the people are fading the former team captain of the American Kickboxing Academy. That said, despite my pick, I would air caution to anyone counting Fitch out of this fight entirely.
Even though he is clearly in the advanced stages of his career at 41, Fitch – since his days wrestling collegiately – has always been a late bloomer who gets better with age, something that his recent winning streak has demonstrated (PED talk aside, of course). And though I believe MacDonald to be the better overall fighter on paper, he has been going through many life-changing experiences in the past few years (lingering injuries from fights, fatherhood, religious beliefs, etc.) that make me uncertain as to where exactly his head is going forward.
Should MacDonald come into this fight unshaken from his last outing (or any other possible outside-of-the-cage intangibles), then he should see himself the victor come Saturday night. I’m not sure if he scores the finish, but I do see MacDonald painting his own portrait with the Georges St-Pierre gameplan, utilizing stifling jabs and well-timed takedowns to deny Fitch the momentum he needs to build upon down the stretch.
Prediction: MacDonald by decision
For more on Bellator 220, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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