Bellator MMA
Here’s the scoop for Friday’s Bellator 227 main card, including Benson Henderson welcoming Myles Jury to the promotion in the main event.
A double dose of Bellator MMA is going down this weekend, starting this Friday, September 27th. Bellator 227/Bellator Dublin is taking place from the 3Arena in Ireland, headlined by Benson Henderson squaring up with Bellator newcomer Myles Jury. The U.S. broadcast of this event can be seen on the Paramount Network at 9:00 P.M. ET (tape-delayed).
Just like Bendo did, Jury will be looking to extend his career after his departure from the UFC. Following his run on the TUF 15 season, Jury posted up a respectable 8-4 record with the company. He is making his move to Bellator after dropping back to back bouts, first to Chad Mendes, and then more recently to Andre Fili. Having fallen short in four of his last six matches, perhaps a change in his work environment is just what the doctor ordered to get his career back on track. Defeating Henderson would be the biggest win of Jury’s career.
Bendo went 1-3 against a murderer’s row of competition to kick off his Bellator career. He was pitted against the likes of Andrey Koreshkov, Patricio Pitbull, Michael Chandler, and Patricky Pitbull — in that order. Getting back to his winning ways may have taken a little longer than he wanted it to, but the former UFC lightweight champion is now riding a three-fight winning wave. He managed to choke out Roger Huerta, and then won decisions against Saad Awad and Adam Piccolotti. If Henderson can get past Jury, then he could very well find himself competing for another world title.
Next up on the need-to-know list for the Bellator 227 matchups is Ireland’s own James Gallagher facing off with Roman Salazar. Gallagher had tons of hype behind him as he picked up wins, and he would also be the first to tell you about it. He was snatching up rear-naked chokes like it was going out of style, but then ran into a major speed bump named Ricky Bandejas. He lost consciousness in the first round by way of side kick to the face, which slowed down his momentum quite a bit. Since then, the SBG Ireland product has picked up another RNC, and then a recent decision win this past June. Now he will be up against a seasoned journeyman in Salazar, who has been there and done that.
Salazar has been around for a bit, and has been involved with many different promotions. He had a couple of fights in the UFC, LFA, and Combate Americas to name a few. He has proven that he can drop fights to just about anybody, and in a variety of ways, but he still has a ton of savvy veteran experience to pull from. Can he get ahead in a new promotion by besting a young buck on the come up?
Dublin is scheduled for a MVP sighting! The now 14-1 Michael Page returns to the cage after his first career loss to take on the 3-1 Richard Kiely. The 3-1 Richard Kiely? Ummm… ok then. Well, the knock on Page has always been his lack of stepping up and taking tough fights, and now here he is going from former champ Douglas Lima, to some guy that’s 3-1. On the flip-side, this is a massive opportunity for Kiely to step into the lime light — if he can avoid getting sniped that is.
Another notable matchup slated for Ireland will be between the 11-2 Ryan Scope and the 11-5-1 Peter Queally. Scope has fought the better opposition of the two, most recently dropping a split decision to the highly dangerous Patricky Pitbull. Queally isn’t exactly the most consistent fighter, win lose or draw, and isn’t really known for his finishing ability, but he comes to fight. He also hails from the SBG Ireland camp, and will at least have the crowd on his side. This should be a fun lightweight scrap.
Bellator 227 main card (Paramount/DAZN at 9 p.m. ET)
Benson Henderson vs. Myles Jury
Kiefer Crosbie vs. Hugo Pereira
Norbert Novenyi Jr. vs. Will Fleury
Leah McCourt vs. Kerry Hughes
Frans Mlambo vs. Dominique Wooding
Bellator Dublin main card (5 p.m. ET on Bellator app)
James Gallagher vs. Roman Salazar
Michael Page vs. Richard Kiely
Ryan Scope vs. Peter Queally
Preliminary Card (Online at 11:45 a.m. ET)
Camila Rivarola vs. Danni Neilan
George Courtney vs. Ciaran Clarke
Richie Smullen vs. Sean Tobin
Ryan Roddy vs. Patrik Pietila
Ilias Bulaid vs. Vitalic Maiboroda
Lee Chadwick vs. Karl Moore
Philip Mulpeter vs. Keith McCabe
Blaine O’Driscoll vs. Jake Hadley
Dylan Logan vs. Adam Gustab
Ian Coughlan vs. Constantin Gnusariev