This weekend’s Bellator event was one of the biggest events in the company’s history, and marked the third round of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. However, it was more than that. The main card was stacked from bottom to top, and featured the long awaited debut of Conor McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis along with a headliner MMA fans have been waiting a decade to see. Despite there being so much talent on one card, there had to be a winner and a loser, and I would like to predict what I think is next for all of the fighters who competed at Bellator 198.
Kyle Walker vs. Khonry Gracie
Kyle Walker was on the losing end of Dillon Danis’ much anticipated MMA debut, but with a losing 2-4 record (now 2-5), it’s pretty obvious that Bellator brought him in just to give Danis a win. However, does that mean the promotion should cut him? I don’t think so, I think that means they actually owe him something because they fed him to the wolves in his first fight. So who else is somebody that Bellator wants to throw a win to? Royce Gracie’s son, Khonry. Walker would get another chance to prove himself as a legitimate mixed martial artist, and Gracie would get a chance to put a win under his belt.
Dillon Danis vs. Kevin Ferguson Jr.
Dillon Danis just made his professional MMA debut, and he’s already one of the most valuable members of Bellator’s roster. So what do you do with a young, popular star? You make him fight another one. Kevin Ferguson Jr., better known as Baby Slice, has proved to generate numbers being the son of the late Kimbo Slice, and a matchup with Danis could be a potential superfight. Ferguson has only had four MMA fights himself, and some could even say that Danis is more experienced considering his jiu-jitsu. I could see this fight being put on a huge Bellator card, possibly even a pay-per-view, and it’s an intriguing matchup that I think a lot of people would want to see.
Javier Torres vs. Josh Koscheck
You remember Josh Koscheck, right? Well, it turns out that he’s still fighting in Bellator, and sadly he’s getting knocked out by fighters that don’t even have a Wikipedia page. So if Kos insists on still fighting, Javier Torres could be the perfect level of competition for him. An Ultimate Fighter veteran with a decent record coming off of a huge loss submission loss could spell out a comeback for the once UFC title challenger, and I would honestly have a hard time picking a winner for this fight.
Neiman Gracie vs. Logan Storley
One Gracie who did get a win on Saturday was Royce Gracie’s distant cousin Neiman, and the emphatic submission really set him up for a big fight. Logan Storley is a name that most Bellator fans know by now from his wrestling background, and he could pose a true threat to Neiman. Forget about striker vs. grappler, this is a matchup of high level jiu-jitsu vs. blue collar wrestling, and could fair extremely well for whichever martial art comes out on top.
Gerald Harris vs. Chidi Njokuani
Gerald Harris came out of retirement on short notice in order to keep Rafael Lovato Jr. on the card, but came up short in his return to the cage. I would imagine that Harris wants to go back to living the retired life and pursuing his career in stand-up comedy, but if he were to choose to make another run, I think Chidi Njokuani would be an excellent matchup. Harris is a strong wrestler, but Njokuani is a tall and dangerous striker, meaning that whoever can implement their gameplan is likely to win this fight. I couldn’t think of two fighters who are more polar opposites than these two, and I would like to see this happen if Gerald Harris stays out of retirement.
Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. John Salter
This was the fight that was supposed to take place at Bellator 198 before Salter had to pull out with an injury, and I think that it should simply be rescheduled. This fight was seen as a number one contender fight for the next Middleweight title shot, and there’s really no one in the division I could see Lovato fighting.
Sam Sicilia vs. Adam Borics
When Sam Sicilia signed with Bellator, everyone expected him to run through the competition into a title shot. However, he did suffer a huge setback at the hands of Emmanuel Sanchez, and could use and young and hungry contender to get a fire back under him. Adam Borics could very well be Sicilia’s stepping stone or reckoning, and I think that this fight makes a lot of sense.
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. AJ McKee
If you ask me, both of these guys are overdue for a title shot, and this fight would undoubtedly be for the number one contender spot. Both of these men have amassed a large win streak and are coming off of dominant victories in their last fights, spelling out an incredible fight if this were to happen. Either of these men could knockout or submit the other, and that makes for the best kind of fight an MMA fan can ask for.
Frank Mir vs. Rampage Jackson
Frank Mir suffered a huge knockout loss at the hands of the greatest Heavyweight of all time, but that doesn’t mean he’s done just yet. Mir could still have a lot of success in Bellator, and I think the fight that makes the most sense is against fellow Grand Prix loser Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Rampage is known for not having any ground game to speak of, and fighting one of the best submission artists in the division could spell danger for the perennial contender. It may seem like Mir would steamroll Jackson, but Rampage always has that one shot, and I’m willing to bet that he hits a little harder than Fedor does.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen
Poor, poor Chael Sonnen. Fedor was the biggest winner of Bellator 198, thoroughly wrecking Frank Mir in under a minute, meaning he advances in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. The person he’s fighting will be Chael Sonnen (unless someone gets injured or Chael realizes he made a huge mistake and gets “injured”), and I have to say that this is one of the most lopsided matchups I’ve ever seen in MMA. Who knows, maybe Chael has a lot more for Fedor than I think he does, but in my mind this is a bit of a freakshow fight. However, a tournament is a tournament, and I’m still excited for this fight no matter how much sense it makes.