'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite all the hype surrounding UFC 242: Khabib vs Poirier, Bellator MMA has also lined up an impressive fight card for Bellator 226 which takes place on the very same day as UFC's highly anticipated debut pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi.
Bellator 226 is scheduled to be headlined by Ryan Bader, who is set to defend his Bellator Heavyweight Championship against Cheick Kongo. Bader won the Heavyweight Championship at Bellator 214 in January of 2019 when he defeated Fedor Emelianenko in the finals of the Bellator Grand Prix Tournament.
On the other hand, Cheick Kongo has been on a hot streak in Bellator and is currently on an eight-fight winning streak. In his last Bellator outing, Kongo defeated Vitaly Minakov via unanimous decision at Bellator 216 on February 19th.
Bellator 226 will also host the first-round bouts for the Featherweight Grand Prix Tournament with interesting fights featuring the likes of Daniel Straus, Derek Campos, Pat Curran, and Sam Sicilia among other notable names.
Here are the predicted outcomes for Bellator 226: Bader vs Kongo.
#1 Ryan Bader (c) vs Cheick Kongo
Ryan Bader's two-year tenure in Bellator MMA has been pretty formidable so far. Having initially signed a contract with the promotion in 2017, the former UFC Light Heavyweight fighter defeated Phil Davis in his debut fight via split decision and won the Bellator Light Heavyweight Title in his first promotional fight.
With Bader currently being in possession of both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championships, I feel that the double champion currently has a slight edge over Kongo due to his immense wrestling skills, despite the latter being undefeated for his last eight outings in Bellator.
Heading into this fight, one other major factor to look out for is the massive 8-year age difference between the fighters. At the age of 44, Kongo certainly doesn't have the age advantage over Bader and might have a hard time surviving Bader's ground game.
Winner: Ryan Bader defeats Cheick Kongo
#2 Sam Sicilia vs Pedro Carvalho
Since signing with Bellator MMA in 2017, Sam Sicilia has competed in three fights for the promotion, winning two and losing one. That one defeat was via an arm-triangle choke submission at the hands of Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 198.
With a win over fellow Featherweight Grand Prix competitor Derek Campos in his last bout, Sicilia will be confident about his fight against Carvalho, who similarly holds a win over Campos from his last fight in the promotion, as well.
Carvalho has competed in three fights for Bellator so far and has won all three, holding wins over Campos, Luca Vitali, and Daniel Crawford. The Portuguese fighter has suffered just three losses in his MMA career, opposing to Sicilia who nine defeats to his name.
At Bellator 226, we could certainly expect Carvalho to put on another impressive show and eventually secure the win over Sicilia.
Winner: Sam Sicilia defeats Pedro Carvalho
#3 Daniel Straus vs Derek Campos
Daniel Straus and Derek Campos could very well be considered among as two of Bellator's experienced Featherweight fighters with both men having been a part of the promotion for over five years now.
However, at this point in time, it can certainly be said that both Straus and Campos haven't had a pleasant time inside the cage in their last few outings. At Bellator 178, Straus made his return to the cage after the gap of almost a year and lost to Patricio Friere via second-round submission after Freire locked in a guillotine choke. For his next fight, Straus lost to Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 184, also via a submission finish, as well.
Campos, on the other hand, is on the back of defeats against the likes of Patricky Freire from Bellator 214 and Sam Sicilia from Bellator 212. Both Campos and Straus are in a must-win situation coming into this fight, however, despite their poor performances in the Octagon, I feel Campos holds the slight advantage over his opponent at this stage, given that Straus was stopped via submission in his last two bouts.
Winner: Derek Campos defeats Daniel Straus
#4 Pat Curran vs Adam Borics
Curran vs Borics is another of those "protege vs veteran" fights that we've been seeing mixed martial arts for years now. Curran made his Bellator debut in 2010 and has suffered three decision losses in his last six fights for the promotion.
Borics, meanwhile, is the rising Featherweight sensation who has competed in four fights fro Bellator and has won all four of them via stoppages, therefore, expect another victory for 'The Kid' come Bellator 226, if not another win via stoppage.
Winner: Adam Borics defeats Pat Curran
#5 Emmanuel Sanchez vs Tywan Claxton
Emmanuel Sanchez is another veteran Featherweight fighter Bellator has in their ranks. Known as El Matador, Sanchez has suffered just one loss in his last five fights, with his last defeat being against Patricio Friere from Bellator 209.
Tywan Claxton, meanwhile, is another Bellator newcomer having signed with the promotion in 2017 and Ohio native is currently has compiled an undefeated streak since signing for the promotion two years ago. Having finished most of his opponents in Bellator so far, Air Claxton certainly has the upper hand heading into this bout, at least in terms of confidence.
Winner: Tywan Claxton defeats Emmanuel Sanchez
#6 Gaston Bolanos vs Daniel Carey
Bellator 226 will also play host to another exciting Featherweight bout between Gaston Bolanos and Daniel Carey, given that both men are currently in their 20s and have a combined total of 3 losses in their Bellator careers so far.
In his four wins in Bellator so far, Bolanos has finished all of his opponents via stoppage and will be the favorite over Carey, who is on the back of a loss against Adil Benjilany.
Winner: Gaston Bolanos defeats Daniel Carey
