Which Bellator champion is next to lose their belt?
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Bellator is looking better than ever. Having just signed broadcast deals on both sides of the Atlantic, they now have the platform to display the mass amount of talent signed to their roster.
With seven champions proudly wearing the Bellator gold right now, attention turns to the challenges to their reign, how secure their championship status is and ultimately who will drop their belt first.
We at The Scrap have decided to analyze each champion and consider all of the above to predict where a new Bellator champion will emerge.
Ryan Bader
Bellator’s first double champion currently holds the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. Initially capturing the 205-pound strap in his company debut against Phil Davis, Bader has gone from strength to strength during his Bellator run, fulfilling the potential he never reached during his stint in the UFC.
His star status was confirmed earlier this year as he emerged from the Heavyweight Grand Prix victorious, picking up wins over King Mo and Matt Mitrione in the preliminary rounds, before making quick work of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the final.
As we’ve seen with double champs in other promotions, the biggest threat to their impressive status is the risk of being stripped. Holding two belts, whilst impressive and unique provides problems for the promotion, as it can hold up the divisions in question. Bader is very much in his prime right now and will surely be keen to stay active, he’ll have to be to avoid being stripped.
MMA politics aside Bader has plenty of challenges to keep him focused. Cheick Kongo confirmed his number one contender status for the heavyweight title, but Scott Coker is happy to allow Bader the chance to defend against whoever he prefers. “To me, it’s really whatever the fighter wants to do,” said Coker. With big challenges against Mousasi and Machida also touted, Bader’s title reign will certainly be put to the test.
He look’s sensational of late, so you wouldn’t want to bet against him holding both belts for some time yet.
Gegard Mousasi
Mousasi bashed Rory MacDonald back down to 170-pounds with a devastating performance at Bellator 206. He now sits atop the middleweight division and has a solid claim as the company’s P4P best fighter and the world’s best 185’er.
Next in line appears to be unbeaten contender and BJJ wizard Rafael Lovato Jr. The Brazilian has a perfect 9-0 record, five of which have come under the Bellator banner. Lovato Jr. poses a serious threat on the floor and will be confident of catching the champion who has been tapped on three separate occasions during his storied fight career.
Mousasi though represents a tough night’s work for any middleweight and will be a huge jump in opposition for Lovato Jr. who is a relative latecomer to the sport. He’ll be confident of keeping hold of his belt in this one, but he can’t sleep on his opponent or he could well go to sleep himself.
Rory MacDonald
This could be our first champion to drop their belt this year and I say that with a heavy heart.
MacDonald whilst probably one of the most talented fighters on the planet, looked poor last time out and did nothing to reassure fans in his post-fight conversations with media. Speaking to Ariel Helwani he said, “I feel like I didn’t go in, I didn’t prepare myself properly the way I usually do. I think I had too many distractions and I just wasn’t focused. I didn’t have the fire in my veins like I usually do.”
As a genuine fan of MacDonald, alarm bells started ringing in my head upon hearing these comments. If a fighter can’t get up for a fight of this magnitude, with so much to gain and a killer facing across from you, it’s natural to question his commitment to the sport.
At just 29 years of age you would assume the prime fighting years lay in MacDonald’s future. However, with 25 fights to his name, a few wars and a decreasing desire to fight, could this be the end for Rory MacDonald?
It appears not. MacDonald is already slated to compete in the Welterweight Gran Prix and defend his belt against Jon Fitch at Bellator 220 next month.
Hopefully the fire returns and the performance improves because even if he manages to get past Fitch, a whole host of hungry fighters lay in wait for the 170-pound champ. His title is under serious threat in 2019.
Michael Chandler
Chandler avenged his loss to Brett Primus and regained his Bellator lightweight belt late last year. Originally dropping his title via TKO due to a leg injury in the first round, it was simply bad luck that Chandler would lose his strap. Now that he put right that wrong, it’s hard to see where his next true challenger comes from.
Patrick Fierre is riding a 5-fight win streak. Chandler, although technically a new champ, has one of the strongest grips on the title on the Bellator roster, having been a long-time champion previously. He holds key wins over many of his current contenders and has established himself as one of the MMA’s top lightweights.
It will take something special to end his current stint as Bellator’s lightweight king.
Darrion Caldwell
If for some reason I had to put money on one of these champions losing their title, this one would be my pick, for various reasons.
Firstly, Caldwell has not defended his Bellator bantamweight title for over a year now, at some point the company will step in and put a defend or vacate ultimatum to its champion. Caldwell seems much more interested in pursuing a career at 145-pounds and at 31 years old he might just be done with that weight cut. On top of that, he is coming off a loss in another organization which cheapens the Bellator brand and certainly shows that Caldwell is a vulnerable champion, who can be beat.
Despite Bellator not having the deepest bantamweight division, Caldwell will have a bunch of competitors desperate to rip that title right from him. That moment will come sooner rather than later.
Julia Budd
Budd has an impressive record, with only two defeats to her name against Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey very early in her career. Besides losing to the best, she has been flawless. Currently riding a 10-fight win streak, which includes her capture of the Bellator belt and two defenses, she is perhaps the strongest champion on this list.
As a fan, I truly want to see her mix it with the best, although this seems unlikely with her tied to the rather shallow Bellator featherweight women’s division. A cross promotional dream fights against the likes of Amanda Nunes or Cris “Cyborg” Santos seem to be the only thing that could threaten the current win streak of Budd.
She has a grasp on the belt and it’s going to take something special to take it off her.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
The Bellator women really do look to be the strongest champions. A combination of talent and a lack of divisional depth has Macfarlane in a similar situation to Julia Budd. Undefeated in both her professional and amateur career, she has looked amazing not only winning, but getting finishes much of the time. She has seriously high-level BJJ, with a 9-0 record and is now the inaugural Bellator flyweight world champion.
Macfarlane looks pretty much untouchable and I for one, look forward to her long reign as champion.
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Follow our writer Jordan Ellis (@JordanEllisUK).
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