Here’s the nuts and bolts for Friday’s Bellator 187 card, as A.J. McKee squares off with Brian Moore in Dublin, Ireland.
The Bellator brand of MMA is headed across the Atlantic Ocean this Friday, as Bellator 187: McKee vs. Moore is set to kick off from Dublin, Ireland. The top of the billing will see undefeated featherweight A.J. McKee throw down with Ireland’s own Brian Moore. Dublin will be represented in the co-main event, as Sinead Kavanagh is slated for her 4th promotional bout, taking on Bellator newbie Maria Cassanova. Also on the card, the 1-1 “Baby Slice” will be in search of his 2nd professional win as he faces the 1-0 Fred Freeman, and 2-fight UFC vet Charlie Ward makes his promotional debut. Bellator 187 can be seen this Friday night, on Spike TV at 9:00 P.M. ET (Tape Delay).
Main Card: Spike TV
A.J. McKee (9-0 MMA; 9-0 Bellator) vs. Brian Moore (10-5 MMA; 0-1 Bellator): Featherweight
A.J. McKee at just 22 years of age already owns 9 professional wins inside of the Bellator promotion, and 6 of those came by way of finish. Being the son of MMA veteran Antonio McKee, it’s no surprise that McKee has shown off an array of skills in both the standup and grappling departments, winning fights with subs and knockouts alike. Go check out McKee’s brutal head kick KO of Dominic Mazzotta, from Bellator 178 this past April, if you’re looking to see someone go cold from a single blow. In his most recent outing, McKee picked up a unanimous decision win over Bellator vet Blair Tugman at Bellator 182, and is now travelling into enemy territory to face Brian Moore in Dublin, Ireland.
Ireland’s own Brian Moore will be making his sophomore appearance for the Bellator promotion, following a disappointing 1st round submission loss to Daniel Weichel at Bellator 169. Moore has a main event opportunity to dish out the first loss to an undefeated McKee, in front of a home crowd no less. Having finished 8 of his 10 victims, will Moore having something slick up his sleeve, and force McKee to leave his ‘0’ in Ireland?
Sinead Kavanagh (4-2 MMA; 1-2 Bellator) vs. Maria Cassanova (3-5-1 MMA; Bellator Debut): (W) Featherweight
Dublin’s own Sinead Kavanagh is geared up for a home game, as the 4-2 SBG Ireland product dropped back to back decisions outside of her native land. In her last appearance, Kavanagh dropped a tough split decision to the now featherweight title challenger Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 182, and is looking to get back into the win column as she faces someone with a less than favorable record.
Maria Cassanova will be making her promotional debut in the Bellator 187 co-main event, as she looks to add a win to her 3-5-1 record. Although she has 5 losses on her record, 4 of them came by way of decision, so it’s not like she just rolls over and gives up. Cassanova is in for an uphill battle as she will have to best a hometown fighter in front of a historically ruckus pro-Irish crowd. Hey, it could happen?
Charlie Ward (3-3 MMA; Bellator Debut) vs. John Redmond (7-12 MMA; Bellator Debut): Middleweight
By signing with the Bellator promotion, the 3-3 Charlie Ward is looking to get his career back on track following an 0-2 stint with the UFC. Ward suffered a 53 second knockout loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan in November of 2016, and then was knocked out with a slam by Galore Bofando back in July of this year. Standing in Ward’s way back to the win column is Dublin’s own John Redmond, who is also knows as “Johnny Jitzu.” Redmond sports an iffy 7-12 record, with each loss coming by way of finish, but fighting in front of a home crowd usually equates to +10 points in the heart department, for what it’s worth.
Kevin Ferguson Jr. (1-1 MMA; 1-1 Bellator) vs. Fred Freeman (1-0 Bellator Debut): 165 pounds
The 1-1 “Baby Slice” is geared up for his 3rd professional bout, following a 1st round TKO of Darryal Griffin at Bellator 179 this past May. The 25-year old Ferguson is a training partner of Bellator 187 headliner A.J. McKee, so look for shades of Team Bodyshop as “Baby Slice” cuts his teeth. Fred Freeman will be making his Bellator debut, and 2nd professional fight overall, as he looks to hand Ferguson his 2nd professional loss. Freeman was last spotted scoring a 2nd round TKO of Jason Powell at Gateway Fighting Series 8: Destiny back in March of 2017. With such young records, anything is possible here.