Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr at noon ET.
On episode 3,146, the boys will talk to guest Randy Costa, look back at this past Friday’s Bellator 255, and look ahead to a big week of fights – including ONE on TNT 1 (Wednesday), Bellator 256 (Friday) and UFC on ABC 2 (Saturday). They’ll also discuss all the biggest recent news.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
The Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has some of the most interesting storylines in MMA this month, and the tournament continues Friday at Bellator 257 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov will defend his title against the always tough Phil Davis in the main event. That bout will double as a first-round matchup in the Grand Prix. The co-main event will be another tournament first-round fight, pitting former UFC contender Corey Anderson against the debuting former ACA champion Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
Here’s what’s at stake in those tournament matchups, as well as other important bouts on the card:
Can Nemkov establish himself as one of the truly elite light heavyweights in the world?
The newly crowned Bellator light heavyweight champion has a historically difficult road ahead of him. Nemkov, a protégé of the great Fedor Emelianenko, knocked out Bader last August to win the title. Now, he must defend the belt in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, beginning with Davis in the first round.
Davis gave Nemkov perhaps the toughest fight of his career in November 2018. Nemkov won a split decision, but many people thought Davis was the true victor. Nemkov is an excellent, versatile striker with stopping power, but anyone who has seen Davis — going back to his UFC days — knows he is an oppressive wrestler who will have a size advantage.
If Nemkov, 28, does get by Davis, it won’t get any easier. He’ll face the winner of a first-round matchup between former UFC title contenders Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Yoel Romero. That’s quite the challenge for any young champion. But if Nemkov does make it through to win this tournament, there will be no denying that he is among the best light heavyweight fighters in the world — in any organization.
What can we expect from Anderson in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix first round?
In his Bellator debut in November, Anderson expectedly ran through veteran Melvin Manhoef via second-round TKO. It was a clear showcase fight, a way to get the Bellator audience familiar with Anderson and his ability. On top of that, Anderson was coming off a knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz (now the UFC champion), so it doubled as a tuneup to get his confidence back. The level of competition gets steeper now as Anderson will face the unknown member of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix in the first round: Yagshimuradov.
Anderson is an accomplished wrestler who also showed off some knockout power in the UFC. It’s easy to forget that Anderson had won four in a row and was on the cusp of a UFC light heavyweight title shot before the Blachowicz loss. Yagshimuradov, a Turkmenistan native, brings a wrestling pedigree of his own into his Bellator debut. He’s the former ACA light heavyweight champion, and the competition is far from easy in the Russia-based promotion.
This should be a legitimate test for Anderson, and the winner will get Bader in the semifinals.
Which surging veteran will creep closer to a title shot?
The always exciting British knockout artist Paul Daley will finally take on UFC veteran Sabah Homasi at Bellator 257 after the bout previously fell apart twice. Daley has won two straight, while Homasi has won four in a row. Homasi’s coaches at American Top Team are very high on his potential, and a win over Daley would be one of the biggest of his career. The winner would creep closer to a title shot against dominant champion Douglas Lima.
In addition to that matchup, former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd will try to win her second in a row after dropping the belt in January 2020 to Cris Cyborg. Budd will face Dayana Silva, who boasts a 9-5 record and will be making her Bellator debut. Budd, still one of the best women’s 145-pound fighters in the world, would be very much in the title mix with a victory.
Bellator 257 also features the promotional debut of Swedish submission specialist Mads Burnell, who has won five in a row after being released by the UFC in 2018. It’ll be a difficult first Bellator fight for Burnell, against The Ultimate Fighter veteran Saul Rogers.
The Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has some of the most interesting storylines in MMA this month, and the tournament continues Friday at Bellator 257 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov will defend his title against the always tough Phil Davis in the main event. That bout will double as a first-round matchup in the Grand Prix. The co-main event will be another tournament first-round fight, pitting former UFC contender Corey Anderson against the debuting former ACA champion Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
Here’s what’s at stake in those tournament matchups, as well as other important bouts on the card:
Can Nemkov establish himself as one of the truly elite light heavyweights in the world?
The newly crowned Bellator light heavyweight champion has a historically difficult road ahead of him. Nemkov, a protégé of the great Fedor Emelianenko, knocked out Bader last August to win the title. Now, he must defend the belt in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, beginning with Davis in the first round.
Davis gave Nemkov perhaps the toughest fight of his career in November 2018. Nemkov won a split decision, but many people thought Davis was the true victor. Nemkov is an excellent, versatile striker with stopping power, but anyone who has seen Davis — going back to his UFC days — knows he is an oppressive wrestler who will have a size advantage.
If Nemkov, 28, does get by Davis, it won’t get any easier. He’ll face the winner of a first-round matchup between former UFC title contenders Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Yoel Romero. That’s quite the challenge for any young champion. But if Nemkov does make it through to win this tournament, there will be no denying that he is among the best light heavyweight fighters in the world — in any organization.
What can we expect from Anderson in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix first round?
In his Bellator debut in November, Anderson expectedly ran through veteran Melvin Manhoef via second-round TKO. It was a clear showcase fight, a way to get the Bellator audience familiar with Anderson and his ability. On top of that, Anderson was coming off a knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz (now the UFC champion), so it doubled as a tuneup to get his confidence back. The level of competition gets steeper now as Anderson will face the unknown member of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix in the first round: Yagshimuradov.
Anderson is an accomplished wrestler who also showed off some knockout power in the UFC. It’s easy to forget that Anderson had won four in a row and was on the cusp of a UFC light heavyweight title shot before the Blachowicz loss. Yagshimuradov, a Turkmenistan native, brings a wrestling pedigree of his own into his Bellator debut. He’s the former ACA light heavyweight champion, and the competition is far from easy in the Russia-based promotion.
This should be a legitimate test for Anderson, and the winner will get Bader in the semifinals.
Which surging veteran will creep closer to a title shot?
The always exciting British knockout artist Paul Daley will finally take on UFC veteran Sabah Homasi at Bellator 257 after the bout previously fell apart twice. Daley has won two straight, while Homasi has won four in a row. Homasi’s coaches at American Top Team are very high on his potential, and a win over Daley would be one of the biggest of his career. The winner would creep closer to a title shot against dominant champion Douglas Lima.
In addition to that matchup, former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd will try to win her second in a row after dropping the belt in January 2020 to Cris Cyborg. Budd will face Dayana Silva, who boasts a 9-5 record and will be making her Bellator debut. Budd, still one of the best women’s 145-pound fighters in the world, would be very much in the title mix with a victory.
Bellator 257 also features the promotional debut of Swedish submission specialist Mads Burnell, who has won five in a row after being released by the UFC in 2018. It’ll be a difficult first Bellator fight for Burnell, against The Ultimate Fighter veteran Saul Rogers.
Apr 28, 2018; Rosemont, IL, USA; Emmanuel Sanchez (red gloves) beats Sam Sicilia (blue gloves) during Bellator 198 at Allstate Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports
There is constant debate about fighter rankings, which are normally based on voting from a panel of journalists. Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on a voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or no. So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has come up with a performance based ranking system, solely based on how a fighter has performed in the cage, this time for Bellator. We’ll roll out a new weight class every Wednesday. Next up: The Bantamweights.
*stipulations: 1) any fighter currently suspended or 2) inactive for at least 12 months (without an upcoming fight scheduled) are excluded from the rankings
Scoring based on a fighter’s past 10 Bellator performances (we use a five-year time limit, so if they have fought less than 10 times in the past five years, only the fights within that time frame are counted. For fighters who have also fought in the UFC during this time, those performances were counted also)
Points based on a fighter’s opponent’s Bellator & UFC win/loss record (ie strength of schedule – the more successful a vanquished opponent is, the more points awarded), extra points given for finishes, extra points given for title fight wins.
Points are weighed so most recent fights are worth more (ie most recent fight counts the most, 10th most recent fight the least)
No points awarded for a loss
Stats
Last
Bell
Total
Rank
Rank
Rank
1
1
1
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire
1005
2
3
2
A.J. McKee
344.5
3
2
Darrion Caldwell
305.5
4
4
3
Emmanuel Sanchez
260.5
5
5
8
Jay-Jay Wilson
190.5
6
5
7
Aaron Pico
189.5
7
7
4
Adam Borics
173.5
8
8
Aiden Lee
145
9
10
Weber Almeida
125
10
9
Henry Corrales
96
11
16
Cody Law
95
11
13
5
Pedro Carvalho
95
13
17
Lucas Brennan
86
14
11
10
Tywan Claxton
80.5
15
15
Brian Moore
71.5
16
12
6
Daniel Weichel
70.5
17
19
Brandon Girtz
68
18
20
Ciaran Clarke
67
19
20
Richie Smullen
65
20
NR
11
Mads Burnell
58
20
22
Saul Rogers
58
22
25
Chris Hatley
54
23
18
9
Jeremy Kennedy
52
24
26
Asael Adjoudj
50
25
28
Dominique Wooding
40
26
29
Matt Bessette
25
27
30
Jeremy Petley
22
28
31
Kevin Croom
20
29
32
Andrew Fisher
10
30
33
Andrew Salas
9
30
33
Harry Hardwick
9
30
33
John de Jesus
9
33
36
Arbi Mezhidov
0
33
36
Ashleigh Grimshaw
0
33
36
Erick Sanchez
0
33
36
Simone D’Anna
0
33
36
Vladyslav Parubchenko
0
Check back next Wednesday for our Women’s Featherweight rankings
(The MMA Manifesto is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)
