The stage is set for tomorrow’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) packed Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. All that’s left is the Bellator 206 ceremonial weigh-ins. In the main event, middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will take on welterweight champion Rory MacDonald for the 185-pound title. In the co-main event, longtime rivals […]
The stage is set for tomorrow’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) packed Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. All that’s left is the Bellator 206 ceremonial weigh-ins.
In the main event, middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will take on welterweight champion Rory MacDonald for the 185-pound title. In the co-main event, longtime rivals Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva will meet for the fourth time.
Not to be outdone, the main card also features the opening round of the anticipated Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. Rapidly rising prospect Aaron Pico will also compete in his next fight against veteran Leandro Higo. Check out our full previews, predictions, and analysis for the main bouts here.
Bellator is back with perhaps their best card ever on paper with tomorrow night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The main card will stream live on new Bellator partner DAZN. The card’s headlining bout features a highly anticipated middleweight super fight between 185-pound Gegard Mousasi and welterweight […]
Bellator is back with perhaps their best card ever on paper with tomorrow night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The main card will stream live on new Bellator partner DAZN. The card’s headlining bout features a highly anticipated middleweight super fight between 185-pound Gegard Mousasi and welterweight champion Rory MacDonald. In the co-main event, former PRIDE rivals Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva will meet for an incredible fourth time.
The Bellator World Welterweight Grand Prix will also kick off at the event. Former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov will square off in the inaugural bout of the buzzworthy tournament. Touted rising star Aaron Pico also has next fight on the main card, facing Leandro Higo on his continued rise.
All of that adds up to an incredibly packed Bellator 206 main card. We broke down the important aspects of each major bout. Check out our Bellator 206 preview, predictions, and analysis here.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald
Hyperbole aside, this is probably the biggest fight Bellator could put on right now due to the track record of both fighters.
Mousasi has won seven straight bouts since his fluky TKO loss to Uriah Hall in September 2015. He’s finished five of those opponents by knockout and may be at his peak as a result. Mousasi did have some trouble in his Bellator debut against Alexander Shlemenko. He most recently destroyed former champion Rafael Carvalho in one round at May’s Bellator 200.
Likewise, MacDonald has been on a tear since coming to Bellator, albeit a smaller one. He’s won both of his fights against Paul Daley and Lima, winning the belt from the latter at Bellator 192 this January.
Both of these fighters bring a wealth of relevant in-cage knowledge and experience, a wholly well-rounded skillset, and the experience to back it up. Therefore, this is truly as elite a fight Bellator could make. In honesty, Mousasi and MacDonald are somewhat similar in style. They both employ crisp, accurate, and measured striking on the feet, choosing to pick their spots with peerless efficiency. Mousasi has shown much more knockout power on the feet, however, and does hold a size edge here.
Both can also finish the fight when it hits the ground. While neither is known as a world-class wrestler, both can take nearly any opponent down and defend opposing takedowns sufficiently. If and when the bout hits the ground, both fighters can absolutely finish the fight with an extensive list of submissions. Mousasi is a black belt in judo and MacDonald is in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
That all boils down to an incredibly close fight on paper. When that happens, the size advantage may play the biggest deciding factor. As you can see from above, Mousasi is the bigger fighter. It’ll be close, but I think he outlasts MacDonald by decision in a back-and-forth battle.
Prediction: Gegard Mousasi def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision
Wanderlei Silva has addressed potentially retiring from the sport of MMA after his next fight is done. The MMA Legend is slated to fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a heavyweight bout in the co-main event of the Bellator 206 event on Saturday, Septemb…
Wanderlei Silva has addressed potentially retiring from the sport of MMA after his next fight is done. The MMA Legend is slated to fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a heavyweight bout in the co-main event of the Bellator 206 event on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California that will […]
This weekend’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, features the opening round of the 170-pound Bellator Grand Prix. Some big stakes have reportedly just been attached to it. The tournament already features decorated welterweights like champion Rory MacDonald, Jon Fitch, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Michael Page, Neiman […]
This weekend’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, features the opening round of the 170-pound Bellator Grand Prix.
Some big stakes have reportedly just been attached to it.
The tournament already features decorated welterweights like champion Rory MacDonald, Jon Fitch, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Michael Page, Neiman Gracie. It now features a famous name from a different sort of entertainment.
Partnership Of a New Kind
Bellator revealed in a press release today that they had partnered with rapper 50 Cent. They duo will promote his “Get the Strap” clothing line and Le Chemin du Roi champagne brand. 50 Cent has apparently decided to be generous with the money he’ll make from the partnership. The press release said he would donate $1 million to the winner of the Welterweight World Grand Prix:
“A passionate and knowledgeable MMA fan, Jackson has already agreed to re-invest a portion of his deal by offering one million dollars in cash to the winner of the upcoming Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix that will air exclusively on DAZN.”
Bellator President Scott Coker gave his thoughts on the upcoming promotional partnership:
“We are thrilled to partner with such a legendary icon who has been a friend to the Bellator family for quite some time. The “Get The Strap” apparel line is just the beginning of many joint ventures we will explore together.”
Managing Fighters?
As the release closed, 50 Cent teased some other ventures in MMA. He said he was going to branch out into managing fighters:
“Bellator has a roster filled with some of the most charismatic athletes in the world. As my relationship with Bellator deepens, you will see me moving into fighter management opportunities that will allow me to integrate top stars into both scripted and unscripted projects across the Viacom networks, as well as the other outlets I have access to.”
Time will tell what that means for Bellator.
Welterweight champion MacDonald will meet middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi this weekend. He’ll then move on to meet Fitch in the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, ‘Rampage’ Jackson will take on Wanderlei a fourth time.
Finally, former champ Douglas Lima will rematch Andrey Koreshkov to kick off the Grand Prix at Bellator 206.
The Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz trilogy fight is on the verge of becoming a reality according to the California State Athletic Commision.
Both Liddell and Ortiz will come out of retirement to settle one of mixed martial arts longest-running feuds. The big difference this time around, it will be under Oscar De La Hoya’s new Golden Boy MMA promotion. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” competed under the Bellator banner as recently as January of 2017. “The Iceman”, however, hasn’t competed in over eight years. Regardless, it looks like these two legends are on the verge of getting licensed to compete in the state of California.
The California State Athletic Commission is in the final process of approving fighter licenses to Chuck Liddell (48) and Tito Ortiz (43). Could be wrapped up by today, I’m told. Clears the way for a third fight, promoted by Golden Boy.
Ortiz will be looking for his first win over Liddell in as many fights. Liddell, however, will look for his first victory of any kind since his exciting performance against Wanderlei Silva back in December 2007 at UFC79.
Although nothing is official as of yet, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya has already submitted the application to promote an MMA event at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 is expected to be on pay-per-view on November 24th. The undercard will be comprised of MMA bouts and will feature no crossover fights.
Watch Tito Ortiz explain his training for the trilogy bout here (courtesy of Twitter):
Tito Ortiz on how often he’s training for his third fight with Chuck Liddell: pic.twitter.com/KNHzpjVSOQ
Wanderlei Silva says his showing at Bellator 206 could decide whether or not he continues fighting. Silva hadn’t fought in over four years ahead of his June 2017 bout against Chael Sonnen. “The Axe Murderer” ended up losing the fight …
Wanderlei Silva says his showing at Bellator 206 could decide whether or not he continues fighting. Silva hadn’t fought in over four years ahead of his June 2017 bout against Chael Sonnen. “The Axe Murderer” ended up losing the fight via unanimous decision. Despite letting his emotions get the better of him post-fight, Silva has […]
