Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima makes the walk to the cage for the 39th time in his 13-year MMA career on Saturday as he bids to become a three-time Bellator champ at 170 pounds.
The Brazilian striker has been one of the most spectacular athletes to compete under the Bellator banner through the years, and his trail of destruction has led him to two Bellator titles and one Bellator welterweight grand prix win.
In Uncasville, Conn., this weekend, “The Phenom” will look to defeat the man who took the title from him back in January 2018, Rory MacDonald, and in the process become a three-time Bellator champion and three-time welterweight tournament winner.
Ahead of his $1 million main event clash with MacDonald, we take a look back at six fights that have helped define Lima’s career in Bellator.
****
Chris Lozano at Bellator 53 – Oct. 8, 2011
Lima arrived in Bellator with a solid 18-4 record and a first-round finish of the respected Terry Martin fresh on his resumé from his time as the Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight champion.
The Brazilian outpointed Steve Carl then, in his second appearance inside the Bellator cage, he delivered a statement in the form of a sledgehammer right hand that sent 9-1 contender Chris Lozano crashing to the canvas for a devastating second-round knockout.
It formally announced Lima as a dangerous threat to the division’s best as he surged into the tournament final against former UFC veteran Ben Saunders.
Ben Saunders at Bellator 57 – Nov. 12, 2011
If anyone thought Lima’s one-shot KO of Lozano was a flash in the pan, he erased those doubts in the tournament final when he repeated the trick against Ben Saunders.
Lima dropped Saunders with another perfectly placed right hand, then finished the job with thumping hammerfists to capture the welterweight tournament crown and make a spectacular start to his Bellator career.
Three fights, three wins, two big knockouts. A title shot was next, but it would prove a little too much, too soon as he lost out to Bellator’s dominant 170-pound champ, Ben Askren.
Ben Saunders at Bellator 100 – Sept. 20, 2013
Lima bounced back from his title fight loss to Askren by reeling off three successive stoppage victories as he progressed to the final of the Season 8 welterweight tournament, where he faced off against a familiar foe.
Saunders had again battled his way to the finale, and the pair ran it back at Bellator 100 in a rematch of their tournament final from two years before.
Unfortunately for Saunders, the result went a similar way, but Lima managed to produce an even more eye-catching finish in the rematch. “The Phenom’s” dominance saw him well on top as the fight approached the end of the second round against a bloody Saunders, whose left eye was almost completely swollen shut.
A desperation leglock attempt by Saunders was his last chance at victory and, after Lima escaped the hold, the Brazilian waited his moment before unleashing a superb left uppercut to the body, followed by a right high kick to the temple that finished Saunders and won Lima the tournament.
Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 164 – Nov. 10, 2016
Lima captured the Bellator welterweight belt in his next outing against Rick Hawn, but dropped the title to Andrey Koreshkov in his first defense as he was outpointed by the Russian contender at Bellator 140.
It put Lima on the comeback trail, and after a year away from the cage, Lima returned to pick up a hard-earned decision win over Paul Daley in London to set up an eagerly anticipated rematch with Koreshkov at Bellator 164 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The matchup between the pair served as a showcase for Lima’s punching power, as he took the best shots from the defending champion before connecting with a huge left hook that instantly knocked out Koreshkov and saw Lima reunited with the title once again.
Rory MacDonald at Bellator 192 – Jan. 20, 2018
After claiming the welterweight title for a second time, Lima managed to defend the belt with a unanimous decision over Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC in the summer of 2017. After successfully retaining his title, Lima knew exactly whom he would face next, with MacDonald already booking his title shot a month earlier with a win over Daley.
Lima and MacDonald faced off at Bellator 192 in Inglewood, Calif., as “The Red King” earned a unanimous decision victory after a punishing five-round war at The Forum, but it was by no means a dominant win for the Canadian, who was left with a badly swollen shin, the legacy of Lima’s powerful leg kicks throughout the fight.
The defeat sent Lima back to the drawing board again but, determined to bounce back and become a three-time champion, “The Phenom” didn’t hesitate when Bellator announced plans for a $1 million welterweight grand prix.
Michael Page at Bellator 221 – May 11, 2019
Lima faced former foe Koreshkov in the quarterfinals of the tournament and secured another finish over the Russian, this time via rear-naked choke submission as he progressed to the final four.
There, he met spectacular British striker Michael Page in a clash of spectacular striking styles, with Page’s slick unorthodox kickboxing going up against Lima’s power-punching approach.
In the end, it was Lima’s power that proved the difference, as he took advantage of a Page slip and connected flush with a big right hand that caught the Brit’s exposed chin as he attempted to return to his feet. Instead, it sent him straight back to the canvas for one of the best knockouts of 2019. It propelled Lima into the final of the tournament, and a $1 million rematch against defending champion MacDonald this weekend.
