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After a series of announcements in recent weeks, the Bellator MMA major fight schedule for the first half of 2022 has come into focus. The promotion has struggled in terms of viewership in recent years, but this selection of fights is a generally compelling slate for existing fans of the product. It also marks potentially key moments for a number of high-profile fighters on the roster.
One of the striking things about Bellator’s recent and future schedule is the increasing reliance on European markets. During the pandemic, the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut became Bellator’s usual home. This was a necessity, but it meant losing some of the excitement that comes with traveling to different markets. Bellator has put a focus on signing European fighters, and many of its top stars are European. It thus makes sense that three of Bellator’s next five major shows are coming from major European capitals: Dublin, Paris and London. Along with stops in St. Louis and Bellator President Scott Coker’s longtime stomping ground of San Jose, California, the atmosphere should be strong for this group of events.
Before the bigger group of shows in April and May, Bellator on Saturday returns to Dublin with Bellator 275 for a middleweight title fight between Gegard Mousasi and Austin Vanderford. The undefeated Vanderford was once known principally as Paige VanZant’s husband, but he has earned his own respect with a 5-0 Bellator record and 11-0 overall mark. There are two interesting questions that can potentially be answered by this fight. First, just how good is Vanderford? Second, can his notoriety outside the cage translate to interest when he’s in a significant fight?
There’s a strong argument to be made that Mousasi is one of the most underappreciated fighters of his generation. Mousasi has been fighting at the top level for a decade and a half, competing in all the elite promotions and taking on the best of the best. If Vanderford can fight competitively with Mousasi, it’s a strong statement regarding his quality. Of course, the flipside of the equation is that Mousasi has proven a lot of opponents unworthy over the years. As to Vanderford’s notoriety, it’s hard to say where he stands given VanZant’s fame outside MMA circles.
The biggest show for Bellator on the horizon is likely the A.J. McKee-Patricio Freire rematch in April. It’s a big opportunity for Freire to avenge an emphatic loss. Freire is 2-0 when rematching previous losses, so there is precedent for him turning things around in the rematch. However, McKee is a different class of fighter, and avenging this loss will be a tall task for the Brazilian. The challenge for Bellator is finding compelling opponents for McKee that will keep him in the promotion.
Also on that card is Vadim Nemkov-Corey Anderson for the light heavyweight title. While Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix hasn’t gone according to plan due to injuries removing some of the most interesting original participants, the final is a strong conclusion. Both Nemkov and Anderson enter with momentum, and the fight should tell us a lot about where both men stand right in the middle of their primes.
Bellator’s May 6 main event in Paris sees Ryan Bader-Cheick Kongo for the Bellator heavyweight title and in some ways makes a lot of sense. It’s a rematch of a fight that ended prematurely with an eye poke. There’s some animus that can add interest to any fight. Kongo gets to fight in his home country again. On the flipside, both men are getting up there in age, and Bader has been stopped twice since their first encounter. Kongo’s bouts are also often dull affairs from a fan standpoint.
The black eye on Bellator’s upcoming lineup is the co-feature in Paris—Yoel Romero-Melvin Manhoef. It is a fight that shouldn’t have been booked. The fight is defensible only on the most superficial level: They’re right around the same age, as Manhoef is 45 and Romero is 44. That doesn’t tell you much. After all, Jared Cannonier is only a year younger than Melvin Guillard, and they’re fighting in the same weight class these days; that doesn’t make that anything resembling a fair fight.
Romero has been fighting elite competition, and while he has lost four straight bouts, those were all competitive decisions in which he won rounds against some of the best fighters in the world. Manhoef, on the other hand, has been past his prime for over a decade and has suffered brutal knockout losses many times over the course of his career. He’s not someone who should be fighting a dangerous opponent with power, regardless of whether the opponent is also old.
The final announced card in the first half of the year is a May 13 show in London. It should have the most electric atmosphere, as the popular and charismatic Michael Page challenges Yaroslav Amosov for the Bellator welterweight crown in his hometown. MVP is a star and doesn’t get the respect he deserves in some circles because his flashy style breeds the sense he can’t be for real; and in fairness, his gaudy record has come against often overmatched opposition. It will be hard to deny Page his props if he hands the 26-0 Amosov his first loss. There is also likely to be enhanced interest in the Ukrainian champion amidst the current tumult in his homeland.
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