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#4. Could Lorenz Larkin earn a Bellator middleweight title shot?
Lorenz Larkin has had a great run in Bellator so far. He didn’t get off to a great start as he lost his first two bouts to Douglas Lima and Paul Daley. But he has turned things around and looks like he could be closing in on a middleweight title shot.
Larkin is riding a five-fight winning streak that includes a split decision win over former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. His win over Carvalho was impressive as it was his first middleweight bout since his loss to Derek Brunson in 2014.
‘The Monsoon’ is scheduled to fight Kyle Stewart on the main card after Khalid Murtazaliev and Anthony Adams both withdrew. Based on the current state of the middleweight division, Larkin earning the next title shot shouldn’t be ruled out.
Current champion Gegard Mousasi recently retained the title against Austin Vanderford and is now scheduled to defend against Johnny Eblen. If Mousasi retains the belt, the promotion could award the next title shot to a notable fighter like Larkin.
#3. Will Yoel Romero snap his losing skid at Bellator 280?
There was plenty of excitement when Bellator announced that they had signed Yoel Romero. He joined the promotion for the light heavyweight Grand Prix, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament after not clearing the pre-fight medical tests. He made his official debut in September 2021, where he lost a split-decision to former light heavyweight champion Phil Davis.
The loss to Davis extended Romero’s losing streak to 4-straight losses. His last win came at UFC 221, when he knocked out former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the third round. Despite the losing streak, he remains one of the most popular fighters in the promotion.
‘The Soldier of God’ has a great opportunity to get back on track when he fights No.7-ranked Alex Polizzi. He was originally scheduled to fight former middleweight title challenger Melvin Manhoef, but the latter was forced to withdraw from the event. Romero could experience a career resurgence should he defeats a top 10-ranked light heavyweight decisively.
