Prime Picks: Bellator 267 ‘Lima vs. MVP 2’

Bellator MMA on Friday will leave American soil to stage an event overseas for the first time in nearly a year. This first 2021 international foray comes inside The SSE Arena in London, where every bout on the 12-fight show features at least one competitor from Europe. As is customary for Bellator offerings, many fights see massive favorites. However, Bellator 267 does allow for some fair plus action in the main event and co-main event, whether in the rematch that some think will go the same way again or in a potential showcase for a prospective star out of Northern Ireland.

Now to the Bellator 267 installment of Prime Picks.

Douglas Lima (+105)

What a difference two years makes. Lima was on a warpath to get his welterweight strap back, putting rival Andrey Koreshkov to sleep to win their trilogy before facing Michael Page in the grand prix semifinals. For the first time in MMA, an opponent defeated Page, as Lima smote him with an uppercut while the Brit was doing his typical elusive movements. None had seen through “MVP” before, and Lima made it look relatively easy, as he only need 5:35 to confirm his status as a great and easily showed as a -300 favorite. This rematch comes at the worst time for Lima, who finds himself on a two-bout skid, although the men to beat him were grizzled vet Gegard Mousasi at 185 pounds and Yaroslav Amosov, an undefeated Ukrainian combat sambo champion.

Lima’s struggles have largely come on worse ends of grappling exchanges, as the Brazilian looked especially helpless against Amosov in June. The frustration mounted as the rounds progressed, with Lima unable to get up and stay there for long before being wrestled down to the canvas. Mousasi exhibited a similar game plan, using his size and strength to bully Lima around. While this strategy could be emulated, Page is not the man to do so. Instead, he will try to implement his whirling dervish style of attack, coming in from odd angles with unorthodox moves while moving out of the way of potential counters. Even though Lima has not won a fight since 2019, the 33-year-old’s ability to read strikes and notice tells has not diminished to a degree that will likely get him caught.

Page has feasted on relatively lower-level opposition during his current winning streak—including three that took place at catchweights above 170 pounds. None jump off the page. His propensity to fluster foes with frenetic yet flowing ferocity makes many feel starstruck, staring at the maneuvers as they play out before their eyes. Starching Giovanni Melillo and Shinsho Anzai is a far cry from the likes of Lima, and even though Derek Anderson is fair competition, the step up from Anderson to Lima is stark enough that his usual tricks will again be stifled by superior technical ability.

To look at a similar parallel in another combat sport, kickboxer-turned-Bellator competitor Raymond Daniels exhibits a spinning, flying display of offense that stuns his opposition. Whether dominating the World Combat League circuit or running through Bellator Kickboxing, Daniels had a style for which few could prepare and prevent. When Daniels stopped annihilating those without Wikipedia pages and stepped up to take on Joseph Valtellini or Nieky Holzken, no more rabbits could be pulled out of hats. Instead, the Holzken’s fabulous fundamentals kept him composed and out of danger while simultaneously allowing him to avoid the wilder attack and get in to land shots of his own. Page and Daniels share some serious similarities in their approaches, although Page does not spam spinning moves nearly as often. With that said, Lima can play the Holzken to Page’s Daniels, just as he did before. The former champion falling from a favorite to plus money is too good to pass up, as this matchup likely boils down to Lima fighting smart and not falling for any trap set by “MVP.”

Leah McCourt-Jessica Borga Doesn’t Go to Decision (+105)

McCourt aims to win her sixth fight in a row in the co-headliner, as she meets Borga—a .500 Floridian who does celebrate a sold victory over Amber Leibrock in the latter’s organizational debut. On the other hand, McCourt’s best win may have been her first, where she carved out a split decision over a rising talent in Manon Fiorot. A quartet of victories, including three finishes within two rounds, have earned her a five next to her name, according to the Bellator rankings. She remains on the outside looking in for the Sherdog official featherweight Top 15 ranks. McCourt is a high +150 to win by stoppage, even though two of three defeats for “The Black Widow” have come inside the distance. Both women have shown themselves to be finishers, and this match has all the makings of one that does not end up in the hands of the judges.

The size difference will be apparent inside the Bellator cage when the two come together, even if “The Curse” only maintains a single inch in height and they are equivalent in reach. Unlike her opponent, McCourt is a true featherweight, while Borga is trapped in this weight category because of Bellator’s lack of a 135-pound division. At the beginning of 2019, Borga tapped to strikes from Shanna Young after being overwhelmed in their bout, and Young competed regularly at flyweight before joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster. Featherweight does allow for the greatest “puncher’s chance” opportunity of all standard women’s divisions, statistically, and this play allows for an upset should Borga stun her locally favored adversary with strikes and pursue a finish. Whether McCourt gets it done or Borga shocks the home crowd, a current line of +105 may be better value than McCourt winning by stoppage if you believe there is a chance this is a trap fight for the woman out of SBG Charlestown.