The Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix will officially kick off with the main event of Bellator 192 on Saturday, with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson set to take on Chael Sonnen.
The meeting of the former UFC and Pride star with the brash former UFC title contender is the first matchup to play out in the organization’s tournament taking place across 2018. It’s a spectacle that borders on sideshow, but it offers an interesting headliner between two well-known commodities.
The card is stocked with some other interesting matchups as Bellator continues to grow its brand. Here’s a look at the complete card at The Forum in Inglewood, California, including a welterweight title clash between Douglas Lima and former UFC contender Rory MacDonald.
Ticket Info: StubHub
Main Card: Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen – heavyweight grand prix
- Douglas Lima (c) vs. Rory MacDonald – welterweight championship
- Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi – lightweight
- Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Henry Corrales – featherweight
- Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten – featherweight
Rampage Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen
Odds: Jackson (-165); Sonnen (+135) (odds courtesy of OddsShark)
Jackson and Sonnen will be a combined 79 years old when they step into the cage on Saturday, so let’s start there. These two are both shells of what they used to be.
However, people will tune in because these are two of the most polarizing figures in the yesteryears of MMA. So anyone looking to see the explosiveness that either of these two fighters once had is obviously going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for just a little bit of absurdity with your pugilism on Saturday, this fight is for you, though.
What you’ll find are two former pressure fighters who plod along at a much slower pace these days.
Sonnen is 1-1 since moving to Bellator. The Gangster from West Linn struggled mightily in a submission loss to Tito Ortiz last time he fought in Inglewood, but he rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Wanderlei Silva in June.
Jackson has found a bit more success under his new promotion’s banner. He is a five-time veteran in Bellator, going 4-1 with his one loss coming to Muhammed Lawal his last time out.
A big factor in this fight could be weight. Jackson made his hay at light heavyweight and has competed in the heavyweight division before. Sonnen was a career middleweight before settling into light heavyweight in the twilight of his career.
Sonnen—who has his moments of honesty between good old-fashioned fight promoting—admits he isn’t sure what fighting at heavyweight will be like.
“The truth is, I don’t totally know what I’m getting into. I’ve never fought at heavyweight,” Sonnen said, per Gareth A Davies of The Telegraph. “It’s not just Rampage. You can put any of those guys in there. I’ve wrestled plenty of them but only in the practice room. I’ve sparred plenty but only in the practice room and not with full speed and power and everything on the line.”
It’s a more subtle version of Sonnen than we are used to, but it might just be a sign that he’s taking this fight seriously.
Jackson is publicly saying he’s taking the fight seriously, giving up ketchup (seriously) so he can be in better shape.
“The No. 1 thing I improved on is I cut out ketchup,” Jackson said, per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting. “You guys are laughing, but ketchup probably has been my worst enemy. I drown all my food in ketchup, every meal I have, and I finally cut it out.”
Rampage is also serious about defending takedowns in his matchup with the former All-American wrestler. According to Raimondi, Jackson offered to give his opponent $10,000 for every takedown he landed on him.
Of course, it was a deal he’s only willing to make if Sonnen will provide some incentive.
“What’s in it for me?” Jackson asked. “He should probably pay me if he can’t afford 10Gs, at least give me 5Gs for every takedown I defend. He hasn’t said nothing. He’s gotta check with his wife.”
The takedown battle will provide a lot of the intrigue in this one. Sonnen has made a career out of his grinding wrestling game, but Jackson could be much bigger than he is on fight night, which would make takedowns difficult and keeping him on the ground an even bigger task.
Jackson has proved the ability to still sneak out some victories. While Sonnen‘s dud of a performance against Ortiz sticks out even in light of his redemption against Silva.
In a bit of a slog of a fight, Jackson has the advantage due to his size, strength and punching power.
Prediction: Jackson via decision
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