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Bellator wrapped up a successful event in London, England this past week. Although the main event wasn’t well-received, the event was action packed and saw some memorable finishes.
Paul Daley closed the chapter on his MMA career with an incredible knockout over Wendell Giacomo. The crowd erupted with applause as the British knockout artist earned the 35th knockout of his MMA career. He might’ve wanted to end his career against a bigger name, but that didn’t change his level of focus. ‘Semtex’ didn’t overlook Giacomo and it showed in his performance. I
Fabian Edwards was equally as impressive as he finished former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. He caught Machida with an elbow and immediately finished him off with strikes, which surely raised his stock in the division. In the main event, Logan Storley defeated Michael ‘Venom’ Page to become interim welterweight champion. The promotion will now have plenty of decisions to make going forward, especially with the welterweight division. This list will look at five fights to make following Bellator 281.
#5. Denise Kielholtz vs. former Bellator women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Denise Kielholtz came up short against Kana Watanabe in a bout that had possible title implications. She had a promising start by landing a powerful combination that stunned Watanabe, but she was then outmatched in the grappling.
The loss extends ‘Miss Dynamite’s losing skid to two-straight losses. And so, a bout with former women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane would be logical for the promotion. Macfarlane has also lost back-to-back fights, including her title loss to Juliana Velasquez. After a year-long layoff, ‘Iliminator’ returned to her hometown but lost decisively to Justine Kish.
Both flyweights are still ranked in the top-5 of the division. Kielholtz is ranked No.3 and Macfarlane is the No.4 ranked flyweight. The bout would also ensure that the division has options in terms of title contenders and that top-ranked fighters remain active.
#4. No.2 Ranked Bellator flyweight Kana Watanabe vs. Justine Kish
Kana Watanabe is now in a great position in Bellator’s 125lb division after submitting Denise Kielholtz. Her grappling was too much for the kickboxing champion to handle and she now gets herself back into title contention.
Watanabe has an opportunity to avenge her only career loss should she challenge Liz Carmouche for the women’s flyweight championship. However, the promotion could decide to go in another direction and book Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez 2 instead. If the promotion books an immediate rematch, Watanabe would be better off taking another fight and remaining active.
An opponent that would make sense is Justine Kish. Despite not being ranked in the women’s flyweight rankings, Kish deserves a top-ranked opponent, especially considering she defeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. If that wasn’t impressive, she did so in Honolulu, Hawaii, where ‘Iliminator’ clearly had the crowd advantage. Watanabe vs. Kish would be a great title eliminator at 125lbs. The bout could even be booked on the same event as the Carmouche vs. Velasquez rematch.
#3. No.4 ranked Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards vs. Austin Vanderford 2
No.4 ranked Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards made a statement by finishing Lyoto Machida. He dropped him with a vicious elbow and then finished the former UFC light heavyweight champion with devastating strikes. This was the biggest win of his career as ‘The Dragon’ has had a decorated MMA career.
Even though it was Machida’s fourth-straight loss, it shouldn’t discredit Edwards’ performance. He now adds a legend to his resume and sets himself up nicely for a rematch with Austin Vanderford. The two fought last May during which Vanderford picked up a unanimous decision win. After snapping his two-fight losing skid, Edwards could now finally be closing
The win ended up earning ‘The Gentleman’ a title shot against middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. And so, the winner of Edwards vs. Vanderford 2 earning a title shot shouldn’t be ruled out. ‘The Assassin’ will definitely have a confidence boost heading into a rematch.
#2. Interim Bellator welterweight champion Logan Storley vs. Jason Jackson
Normally when fighters become interim champion, the next logical step is a unification bout, but Bellator is in a different situation. After Logan Storley became interim welterweight champion, there was speculation on what could be next.
With current champion Yaroslav Amosov out of action for the time being, Storley should defend the interim championship. There are plenty of matchups that would ensure that the division continues to progress during the champion’s absence. The winner of the upcoming bout between Jason Jackson and former welterweight champion Douglas Lima would make sense. They were scheduled to compete at the London event, but the fight fell through and is now rescheduled for July 8.
Jackson is currently riding a 5-fight winning streak that includes wins over Benson Henderson, Neiman Gracie, and Paul Daley. Meanwhile, Lima is currently on a three-fight losing skid with losses to Page, Amosov, and middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi.
#1. Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs. former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov
Michael ‘Venom’ Page was defeated for only the second time in his Bellator career. But this loss shouldn’t affect his status in the welterweight title picture. He was a lot more aggressive throughout the interim title bout against Logan Storley, but Storley’s wrestling was the difference maker.
Page also did more damage with his striking and many felt that he should have been awarded the decision. Despite the loss to ‘Storm’, MVP only fell to No.2 in the Bellator welterweight rankings. Based on his ranking and fighting style, the promotion should consider matching him up with No.6 ranked welterweight Andrey Koreshkov. The former champion has won three-straight fights in dominant fashion.
It would be a great opportunity for both fighters and could be realistic for either August or September. ‘Venom’ would get a chance to defeat another former welterweight champion, while ‘Spartan’ could move closer to another title shot.
