INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Two of Bellator’s biggest prospects won in a matter of seconds. One of the promotion’s best fighters got revenge in a big rematch. The quarterfinals of the Featherweight World Grand Prix were set with a unique twist. It was a wild, mostly successful two days for the promotion — from Bellator 227 on Friday in Dublin, Ireland, to Bellator 228 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Forum.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from the two cards.
Mousasi won a mostly uneventful split decision over Lyoto Machida in the main event of Bellator 228. It was a solid win over a very difficult-to-figure-out fighter, but Mousasi’s best performance of the night came in the post-fight news conference. In hilarious fashion, Mousasi made a case for a rematch against Lovato, the man who took the middleweight title from him in June.
Over several minutes, Mousasi said he was going to “literally kill” Lovato in an “extra special fight” … “because I will be an extra special boy.” Mousasi then accused Lovato of performance-enhancing drug use, saying Lovato looked like he was on “monkey steroids” when they fought in London. Mousasi said if he loses to Lovato again, he’ll retire. “I’m not kidding you,” he said.
That fight seems to be the most likely next step for Bellator’s middleweight title picture. Mousasi is ranked No. 9 at the weight class by ESPN and is one of the promotion’s best-known fighters, signing as a free agent in 2017 off a very successful run in the UFC. If Lovato vs. Mousasi 2 is indeed the way Bellator goes, the lead-up should be very entertaining.
Grand Prix selection show enriched the tournament
Bellator’s unique take on selecting the quarterfinals of its featherweight grand prix could have come off as convoluted, both on television and in the arena, but it actually came off without a hitch. Each of the eight fighters who had made it through the first round of the competition drew a number randomly. The months when the four quarterfinal fights will occur — December 2019, January 2020, February 2020 and March 2020 — were displayed on the big screen. The fighter who drew No. 1, which happened to be A.J. McKee, picked first, and so on until each fighter was slotted with a month for his fight — and an opponent.
The selection show added storylines to the tournament. One example: Emmanuel Sanchez chose a February matchup with Daniel Weichel, saying he did so because he believes he beat Weichel in their first meeting in 2016, which Weichel took by split decision.
Featherweight champion Patricio Freire picked last, and that was where Bellator swerved everyone, giving Freire a “champ’s choice.” He was allowed to choose any matchup and month he wanted, pushing another fighter elsewhere in the bracket. Rather than pick a quarterfinal fight with one of his rivals, Darrion Caldwell or McKee, “Pitbull” chose to face Pedro Carvalho in March 2020.
That selection sent Caldwell to other side of the bracket. So, Freire won’t see Caldwell, McKee or Adam Borics — perhaps the toughest draws in the tourney — until the final. This selection show and how it unfolded added another layer of intrigue to an already good grand prix.
A.J. McKee is ready to become Scott Coker’s first homegrown Bellator star
McKee knocked out Georgi Karakhanyan in just eight seconds with an overhand left and punches on the ground, sending the Forum into a tizzy. This was the kind of result — in a big spot, in front of his hometown Los Angeles fans — that Bellator had been hoping for from McKee since he made his pro debut with the promotion in 2015. Bellator has built McKee up slowly, and now he’s 15-0 with the third-quickest knockout in organization history on his résumé.
The can’t-miss recent Bellator prospect was supposed to be Aaron Pico. But while Pico does still have a chance to be a huge star, his MMA career has had a rocky start. Then there’s McKee, just 24 years old, who seems to be ready to fight the best guys in the division right now.
Ever since Coker took over Bellator as president in 2014, his approach has been to sign free agents from the top and build prospects from the bottom. McKee has been a textbook example of that plan, and it has worked out sublimely for Bellator thus far.
James Gallagher is among Bellator’s savviest promoters
Gallagher, SBG Ireland’s prize prospect, finished Roman Salazar by guillotine choke submission in just 35 seconds Friday at Bellator 227. His next move? He celebrated by jumping out of the cage and into the waiting arms of mentor and teammate Conor McGregor. Maybe it was just reflex — McGregor and Gallagher have been close for many years. But maybe Gallagher is intelligent enough about promotion to know that getting the rub (in pro wrestling terms) from McGregor right after a highlight-reel win would be great for business.
Either way, as is the case with McKee, Bellator really has something in Gallagher, who is just 22 years old. He can already sell out an arena in Dublin, essentially on his own. Watch his walkout from Friday night and how the fans reacted. He’s a star in Ireland and could be one in the United States at some point, too.
Bellator’s investment in Michael Page wasn’t for naught
Page didn’t have the greatest Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. He earned a lackluster win over Paul Daley in the first round, then got knocked out in the semifinals by Douglas Lima. Maybe “MVP” can’t beat the best welterweights in the world just yet. Maybe he will never be able to do that. But he still has the ability to generate buzz.
On Friday in Dublin, Page was in top position on Richard Kiely and got a point taken by referee Dan Miragliotta for taunting Kiely. Seconds later, after the fight was stood up, Page knocked Kiely out with a brilliant flying knee. Now, Kiely came into the bout with just four pro fights. This was a showcase fight for Page, the kind you’d typically see in boxing rather than MMA. But “MVP” still had to win the fight — and he did it in spectacular fashion. Kiely wasn’t going in there to lose, and he’s a tough customer.
The impressive finish gives Bellator a lot more options for Page’s future, certainly more than if “MVP” were coming off a loss or ugly win. Bellator has built Page up, not unlike the way it did with McKee. Page is 32 years old but he still can make money for Bellator — and himself — with big fights. He has momentum again after this weekend.