Bellator is Heating Up
By Eddie Sanchez
In the eyes of many, the UFC is the undisputed model for the elite Mixed Martial Arts action. The issue is, there are quite a few organizations that can make legitimate claims to be on a similar par.
It has to be noted that ONE Championship saw a few former UFC stars get pummeled in a primetime showing, most notably, Demetrious Johnson’s KO loss to Adriano Moraes. The widely-regarded GOAT Flyweight was absolutely trashed, and ONE Championship represented that they are more than a former-UFC showcase organization.
Similarly, Bellator has elite top-heavy rosters at Light Heavyweight and Featherweight. While their Light Heavyweight roster might be on par with the UFC’s, it might not be hyperbole to state that Bellator’s reigning Featherweight Champion, Patricio Pitbull Friere, is the greatest at his class in the world.
To start, Bellator’s Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix has four men left standing and waiting, to show that they are ready to be champion. There is current champion Vadim Nemkov, as well as three UFC-alum standouts: Anthony Rumble Johnson, Corey Anderson and Ryan Bader.
It will be interesting to see who the last man standing is, but with Jon Jones no longer campaigning at Light Heavyweight, a case could be made that if Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira were members of this tourney, that neither would end as champion. This is an important distinction for the UFC to realize, although it also must be noted that they are far-and-above the most marketable in terms of brand recognition and stickiness. Fans have shown a willingness to flock in droves to watch the latest cards on ESPN+ and Bellator has a lot to do to catch up on a macro-level.
One thing Bellator must do is pick strategic dates for the rest of the Light Heavyweight tournament. They are exercising this strategy this weekend when Patricio Freire takes on A.J. McKee on July 31st.
This date is notable because they will challenge the UFC head-on, as they broadcast Uriah Hall-vs-Sean Strickland. I will be researching hard for the television ratings the following week to see if Bellator’s premiere matchup beats out the less-than-stellar (respectfully) UFC bout.
Patricio Freire has an elite resume that includes Champ-Champ status, as well as a knock-out victory over Michael Chandler among others. He is as good as it gets and if he beats Sean Stirckland this upcoming weekend, I’m sure he will let the world know that is the best Featherweight in the world.
The UFC is no slouch in this regard though, don’t get it twisted. Current Champ, Alexander Volkanovski will have an opportunity to counter Patricio’s expected claim when he takes on Brian Ortega on September 4th. Of course, the legend Max Holloway also lingers nearby.
In my heart-of-hearts I think Volkanovski and Holloway would beat Freire in closely contested dog-fights. However, this is probably the first time where there isn’t just a conversation about which organization has the better class – there is a damn-near 50/50 split in terms of media opinion. This is huge and I expect the UFC to promote Volkanovski-Ortega extensively leading up to their September bout. Likewise, I also expect a Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy match to be signed shortly after (assuming Alexander is victorious).
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves with the comparisons. Patricio Freire has this work cut out in front of him this weekend. McKee has six finishes in his last seven fights and surely will look to continue his dominant run.
This fight is widely regarded as the best in Bellator’s history, and given that stage, anything can happen. Make sure to tune in on Showtime this weekend to find out who just might be the best Featherweight in the world.
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