Bellator will make its first appearance at the renowned Madison Square Garden with Bellator 180. This super card will feature a sleu of the promotion’s best. This card has the potential to be Bellator’s biggest card of all time. It’s a big step towards being able to compete with the UFC. Expect Bellator 180 is absolutely kick ass! Here’s what we got so far:
Wanderlei Silva vs Chael Sonnen
This fight has been in the making ever since the two coached opposite each other in The Ultimate Fighter. During the show, the two engaged in several physical altercations, including one full-blown fight.
Since then, they have been itching to fight each other. It hasn’t happened largely due to Silva’s unfortunate lifetime ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for running away from a drug test. Now that that’s all sorted out, it’s time to get this thing on. It may be a few years too late, but late is better than never.
Chael was last seen in action being submitted by Tito Ortiz at Bellator 170. In that fight, Sonnen claimed Ortiz tapped due to a brabo choke, but Ortiz went on to choke Sonnen out in the first round relatively easily. Before that fight, Sonnen was inactive for nearly 4 years.
Wanderlei meanwhile has been inactive for about 4 years as well outside of a peculiar grappling stint with Rizin FC. Silva was last seen knocking out Brian Stann in the UFC as his “retirement bout.”
This fight is all about bad intentions and unfinished business.
Fedor Emelianenko vs Matt Mitrione
Speaking of unfinished business, this heavyweight tilt is rebooked for this collosus event. Fedor was of course supposed to fight Mitrione at Bellator 170, but Mitrione had to withdraw on short notice due to kidney stones. Mitrione was signed by Bellator after his UFC stint which resulted in a 9-5 record and being a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter.
Fedor supposedly retired in 2012, but came back to compete for Rizin FC. He won handedly, then took on Fabio Maldonado in Russia. Even though Fedor controversially won the bout, we saw him nearly get knocked out several times and have to come back. Now, Fedor will look to string together another win and improve his 37th MMA win.
Lorenz Larkin vs Douglas Lima
For the welterweight title, recent Bellator-signee Lorenz Larkin will skip the warm up fight and go straight for Douglas Lima’s crown.
Larkin put together a very impressive 4-1 record at 170 lbs while with the UFC, and looked to be approaching title contention. However, Larkin chose to fight out his contract, test free agency, and ultimately ended up with Bellator. Larkin is a sensational striker, known for his dynamic kicking arsenal, and is rarely in a boring fight.
Lima could be Bellator’s best fighter on the roster. He first became champ after Ben Askren left the promotion, but was defeated by Andrey Koreshkov. Lima then bounced back with a big win over Paul Daley, and came back to knock Koreshkov out to regain his belt. A trilogy fight will likely be in order, but first up is former UFC contender Larkin.
This fight has fireworks written all over it.
Michael Chandler vs Brent Primus
Also featured on this stacked card is a lightweight title bout. Champion Michael Chandler was last seen in an amazing showdown against former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson. Chandler defended his crown by split decision, and will now defend it against the unbeaten Brent Primus.
It’s safe to say this won’t be Chandler’s stiffest test to date. Primus is relatively unknown, but 7-0 as a professional with 5 of those wins under the Bellator banner. This appears to be merely an opportunity to showcase Chandler to the casual audiences as he is highly skilled and very entertaining to watch.
Aaron Pico MMA Debut
Freestyle wrestling world champion Aaron Pico will also be making his MMA debut. He’ll likely be on the undercard against a fighter nobody has ever heard of, but nevertheless it’ll be interesting to see how he does. Pico is a
Bellator also signed BJJ standout Dillon Danis, who is most known for being Conor McGregor’s grappling partner. This could be a trend that Bellator continues to follow. Don’t be surprised if Danis gets his MMA debut on the undercard of Bellator 180 too!
Bellator 180 is going to be a do-not-miss event! Make sure you check out GetMoreSports for more MMA news!
