Written by Lucas Themelis
With the first bout in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix coming up this Friday, the tournament does not seem to be garnering the attention it deserves. With that being said, what are the bracket’s first-round matchups?
Bellator is a fan of putting together Grands Prix, something that separates them from the current business model of the UFC today. With the acquisition of new talent at 205 pounds, recognizable names that are highly decorated in their combat sports career meant it was time to put another tournament together.
Eight fighters are competing in the new light heavyweight tournament, announced in February. The exclusive group of fighters includes the current champion, Vadim Nemkov, and heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, the last two men to square off for the Bellator light heavyweight belt.
The first fight of the tournament is between Bader and Machida, a rematch over eight years in the making. These combatants first fought in August 2012 under the UFC banner, where Machida would knock Bader out in the second round.
Stylistically the fight should be very similar to their first contest. However, Lyoto is now 42 years old, whereas Bader is 37. Many would argue Bader is still in the prime of his career. Despite the one-sided loss to Nemkov to lose the light heavyweight belt last August, Bader still reigns as Bellator heavyweight champion. His loss to Nemkov also ended a seven-fight win streak and his undefeated streak in Bellator.
On the other hand, Machida has lost his last two fights and has been a very streaky fighter through most of his career. He started his career going undefeated at 16-0, but since his first loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in 2010, where he lost the UFC light heavyweight belt, he has a record of 10-10. However, it is essential to remember that one of those ten wins is a knockout against Ryan Bader, as well as eight of those losses came against UFC and Bellator champions at light heavyweight and middleweight.
Who are the other two you ask? Fourth-ranked UFC middleweight Derek Brunson and newly acquired Bellator light heavyweight and four-time UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero.
Following Bader vs. Machida 2 on Friday, tomorrow as of the publishing of this article, Cory Anderson takes on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov on April 16th, with the winners of these bouts facing each other in the next round.
Anderson's last loss came against the current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, and since then has had one fight in Bellator against Melvin Manhoef in November, earning a second-round TKO victory. His opponent Yagshimuradov is currently on an eight-fight win streak dating back to 2015, however, the contest will serve as his Bellator debut.
Yagshimuradov has fought in numerous lesser-known organizations through his career, amassing a record of 18-5-1. This fight should be a real test for both men, as the mystique of the unknown Yagshimuradov paired with the brutal power that allowed him to stop all but one of his eleven knockout victories in the first round is nothing to sleep on.
Yagshimuradov also adds four submission victories to his resume, showing a well-rounded approach. In comparison, Anderson has six knockouts and eight decision victories, but no submission finishes in his career. It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out, as the wrestling pedigree of Anderson may have him take the fight to the canvas and risk rolling with someone that knows how to finish a fight on the ground.
The Anderson fight happens to be the co-main of the evening of 16th, as the event is headlined by the champion Vadim Nemkov and Phil Davis, where Davis will attempt to retake the gold he lost to Bader by split decision in 2017. The first-round draw with the much younger Nemkov gives him an opportunity to avenge his loss to him in 2018.
Nemkov has had five fights in Bellator, undefeated in his quest for Bellator light heavyweight gold, a goal that has since been realized. He has not lost since he fought in Rizin in 2016, and in his two losses at 12-2, one came via split decision, his last, and the second came by stoppage in the Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal against fifth-ranked UFC light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka in 2015, a fight he was winning. It is worth noting those losses came at 23 years old, and the champion has improved mightily since.
The split decision loss to Nemkov has been Davis’ only loss in his six fights since losing the belt. This fight should be interesting, considering how close their last fight went that went the 15-minute distance.
These are two very high-level fighters who both have fantastic wrestling resumes. Davis would compile a collegiate record of 116-20 en route to becoming a four-time NCAA D1 All-American with two Big Ten conference golds, an NCAA D1 silver in 2006, and an NCAA D1 gold in 2008. Nemkov, on the other hand, is a four-time combat sambo champion and a protege of Fedor Emelianenko, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
The final fight in the first round of the tournament is Yoel Romero vs. Anthony Johnson: a fantasy matchup that fans never thought they would get, but one that has been highly-anticipated since its inception. The fight is set to take place at Bellator 258 on May 7th.
Since the acquisition of both men from rival UFC, fans have wanted this fight for so many reasons. For one, both men have resumes that speak for themselves. Yoel is a highly decorated wrestler who has beaten three Olympic gold medalists and five world champions. He has earned silver in the 2000 Olympics and just missed out on a podium finish in 2004 at 4th place.
On the other hand, Johnson was a junior college national wrestling champion who possesses innate knockout power, having 16 knockouts on his record, one of which is coming against heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in 2016. His 11 total UFC knockouts and nine first-round UFC knockouts are tied for second and most in the promotion’s history respectively.
As impressive as Johnson's knockout ability is, Yoel has only been finished once in his career back in 2011, many considering him to have one of the best chins. He is now 43 years old and has not competed in light heavyweight in mixed martial arts since 2011, which may factor in.
As of now Yoel has a record of 13-5 and is on a three-fight losing streak to some of the best middleweights in the world in Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa, and Robert Whittaker. Johnson’s record is 22-6, with his last fight coming in 2017 in a submission defeat to Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title.
Yoel’s main issue is that he can be pretty passive at times, which against someone with Johnson's power is never good, no matter how strong your chin is. This will be a very calculated war of wrestling and knockout strikes, and I, for one, am very excited to see who comes out on top between these two legends.
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