Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix Finals/Bellator Welterweight Championship: Rory MacDonald (c) (21-5-1) vs. Douglas Lima (31-7)
Luke Irwin: Look, I have no goddamned idea what’s going to happen, here. RoryMac hasn’t looked good, and his newfound faith, while good for him and his family, has cast a strange pall over his fights. He doesn’t want to hurt people. Ok. Cool. Thing is…Douglas Lima wants to. Maybe moreso than any fighter in the world. Since losing to Rory, Lima has put out Andrey Koreshkov with a choke and made Michael Page a meme with an unbelievable knockout. Douglas Lima wants to hurt people, and he’s going to be pissed after his last loss, and because Rory has turned into Pedro Serrano in Major League 2, I don’t know how this will go, but Lima will seize any opportunity to exploit a weakness in mind, body, or soul. Lima via R5 TKO.
175lb Catchweight Bout: Paul Daley (41-17-2) vs. Saad Awad (23-12)
Luke: Don’t look now, but Daley hasn’t had a KO win in over two years. I think they’re giving him an ample target to get back on the horse in Awad, a fellow thrower, who doesn’t have the power or defense in Daley. Daley via R1 KO.
Bantamweight Bout: Isiah Chapman (9-3) vs. Patrick Mix (11-0)
Luke: Chapman is making his Bellator debut without a single decent win on his record, and he’s entering against an up-and-coming submission buzzsaw in Mix. This is going to be quick. Mix via R1 Submission.
160lb Catchweight Bout: Craig Campbell (2-3) vs. Kevin Ferguson Jr. (3-2)
Luke: Proper can for Ferguson to crush on a bigger stage. Ferguson via R1 TKO.
Lightweight Bout: Manny Muro (10-6) vs. Nick Newell (16-2)
Luke: Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Newell via R1 Submission.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!