LONDON – Check out the official face-offs from today’s Bellator 200 ceremonial weigh-ins.
Bellator 200 takes place Friday at The SSE Arena in London, and the main card airs via same-day delay on Paramount following live prelims on the Bellator app.
Bellator is back in London this week on the heels of the biggest wedding in years, and the middleweight title is on the line.
Bellator 200 takes place Friday at The SSE Arena in London. The main card airs via same-day delay on Paramount following live prelims on the Bellator app.
In the main event, middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho (15-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line against Gegard Mousasi (43-6-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Mousasi, the challenger, is more than a 3-1 favorite, but he’s not a unanimous pick. One brave picker from our 14 MMAjunkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers is picking the champ in an upset.
In the co-feature, England’s Michael Page (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) is a heavy favorite in his welterweight fight with David Rickels (19-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA). “Venom” Page is a 13-1 pick among our staff members.
Also on the main card, former light heavyweight champion Phil Davis (18-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), the biggest favorite on the card, is a unanimous pick against Linton Vassell (18-6 MMA, 7-3 BMMA). And Aaron Chalmers (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a unanimous pick in his 163-pound catchweight fight against Ash Griffiths (4-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).
And to open the main card, Kate Jackson (9-3-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on slight favorite Anastasia Yankova (5-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. And that fight is not only the card’s most competitive at the betting window, but the most competitive among our staff – even though Yankova has a 9-5 edge in the picks.
In the MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, Mousasi, Page, Davis, Chalmers and Yankova are the choices.
LONDON – Bellator welterweight David Rickels would like to invite Michael Page to his first real MMA fight.
“Venom” Page (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) might be making his ninth appearance for the Viacom-owned promotion, but Rickels (19-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) said he has yet to face real opposition.
“It’s definitely been easy – easier,” Rickels told MMAjunkie in advance of their Paramount-televised headliner at The SSE Arena in London. “There’s just a point where you’ve got to step up to championship caliber. I think that this is the transition.
“He boxed a 2-11 boxer, and Fernando Gonzalez was by far his toughest competition. It’s just time. Let’s see what he can do.”
Rickels is down to find out if Page is the real deal. No fighter has been able to stop the flashy strikes “Venom” unleashes in the cage, and Rickels figures he could encounter some things he’s never dealt with in a fight.
“‘MVP’ is super talented,” Rickels said. “I’ve been fighting forever, man, (and) I’ve seen a lot of (expletive). I’ve never seen anybody snake-dance fight in the ring. So this will be different in that aspect.”
But the thing is, Rickels believes in the end that he’s got a wealth of experience in all aspects of MMA, and that’s where Page falls short. Not only that, but all the pressure is on Page to deliver a performance that justifies his hype.
“He might have the nerves,” Rickels said. “He’s in London. The pressure’s on him, son. I’m telling you right now, there ain’t no pressure on me. This is a vacation.”
Soon, he’ll find out whether it’s the kind of vacation that ends happily, or one where you just can’t wait to get home.
Many believed David Rickels was going to be Michael Page’s toughest test to date prior to Bellator 200. If he was, then “Venom” passed with flying colors.
Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) remained undefeated in his career when he forced Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA), who was making a record-setting 20th Bellator appearance, to verbally submit 43 seconds into the second round after he landed a heavy right hand that left “The Caveman” covered in blood and ready to call it quits.
The welterweight bout co-headlined Bellator 200, which aired on Paramount via tape-delay from The SSE Arena in London.
The fight began with a lot of dancing around by both men. Page’s first attack didn’t come until more than 70 seconds into the fight, while Rickels resorted to slapping low kicks. Page found a rhythm, though, landing solid counter punches on Rickels and forcing him to react to every movement.
One of Page’s shots opened a cut, and shortly after “MVP” connected with a clean punch that dropped Rickels to his backside. Instead of following up, though, Page opted to ruthlessly taunt Rickels with a variety of dance moves and martial arts poses.
After spending his break between rounds dancing, Page came out doing more of the same in the second frame. Rickels was visibly frustrated, and the Brit took advantage. Page connected with a strong right hand, which landed to Rickels eye and caused his cut to gush.
Rickels turned and walked away, waving his hand in the air, but it wasn’t clear what he was doing. After some confusion, Rickels indicated to the referee that he was done fighting. The fight was then waved off, giving Page the win at the 43-second mark of Round 2.
“I’m coming for everybody,” Page said in his post-fight interview. “Everybody.”
With the victory, Page extended his Bellator winning streak to nine fights, which is tied with Ben Askren for the second longest in company history behind A.J. McKee (11).
Michael Page won his long-awaited return to MMA competition on Friday when he defeated David Rickels at Bellator 200.
In his first fight since November 2016, Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) forced a dejected Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) into a second-round verbal submission in their Paramount-televised welterweight bout at The SSE Arena in London.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Page’s victory over Rickels at Bellator 200.
Seen #MVP fight tonight and seeing Caveman rush in rewatch my fight and tell me i was not controlling distance without my movement i would have gotten the same thing,good to see him back but have to be Honest he would not sign a contract to fight me again. https://t.co/pbuzZQlW5I
Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) was busted open badly around his left eye when issued a verbal submission in the second round of Friday’s Bellator 200 bout against Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA). He took a hard shot to the eye from “MVP,” and moments later told the referee he was done fighting.
It was hard to tell the severity of the cut around Rickels’ eye on the Bellator 200 broadcast, which aired via tape-delay on Paramount from The SSE Arena in London. USA TODAY Sports Images photographer Steven Flynn was shooting the card cageside for MMAjunkie, though, and captured some evidence.
Check it out in the gallery above.
Bellator 200 marked a seminal moment in Rickels’ career. He became the first fighter in Bellator history to make 20 appearances with the promotion, but the fight did not go his way.
“The Caveman” has not commented on his fight with Page since it happened. However, it will certainly be interested to track his explanation for submitting, and whether the cut was the entirety of the reason.
The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly seriously, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
It was, he said, the inevitable conclusion of a fight that was headed in one direction.
“When you know that if you continue with this fight, it’s only going to get worse from there, you wave the right flag, and that’s exactly what he did,” Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) told reporters after their Paramount-televised co-headliner at The SSE Arena in London.
There was also a very immediate reason for Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) to capitulate, Page ventured. A right hand “exploded” Rickels eye and opened up a cut that needed stitches.
Immediately afterward, Page was overwhelmed by the emotion of putting away an opponent who’d talked a fair amount of smack heading into the fight. He walked down Rickels and yelled, “You’re (expletive) – you know you (expletive) up.”
“A bit rude, but he did eff up,” Page said.
“Venom” wasn’t disappointed his cage time was cut short by the sudden end. Although there was a little bad blood, he enjoyed getting the whole thing over quickly.
“I don’t get paid for overtime, so if he wanted to quit, that’s his business,” Page said. “I’m coming back to the cage, and I’ll do it another time. I think most people enjoyed the show anyway, so I’m happy.”
With one fight left on his Bellator contract, Page figures to be in a good position to renegotiate his deal. A showdown with rival Paul Daley beckons, and a title shot against champ Rory MacDonald doesn’t seem far away.
But Page isn’t interested in titles. He just wants to keep building himself until his star power is undeniable.
“Everyone’s talking about belts, and I could not give a damn about who’s wearing what belt,” he said. “No one fights like I do. With or without the belt, I’m the face of this company.”
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a Bellator win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
See what the main-card fighters of Friday’s Bellator 200 in London went with as their backing tracks.
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Gegard Mousasi def. Rafael Carvalho via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:35
The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly seriously, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Gegard Mousasi made some MMA history on Friday when he closed out Bellator 200 by claiming the organization’s middleweight title from Rafael Carvalho.
Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) added another championship belt to his collection when he quickly dethroned Carvalho (15-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) with a first-round TKO in the Bellator 200 main event, which aired on Paramount via tape-delay from The SSE Arena in London.
“The Dreamcatcher” put himself in MMA lore with the win, but he wasn’t the only one to enter the record books. For more on the numbers to come out of the event, check below for NUMBER post-event facts from Bellator 200.
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General
Debuting fighters went 2-1 on the main card.
Betting favorites went 4-1 on the main card. One fight did not have odds available.
Betting favorites improved to 7-2 in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 37:28.
Main card
Mousasi became the fifth Bellator middleweight champion.
Mousasi became the first fighter in MMA history to claim titles under the Bellator and Strikeforce banners.
Mousasi’s seven-fight winning streak is his longest since December 2009.
Mousasi improved to 10-1 in his past 11 fights. His only defeat in that stretch came against Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 75.
Mousasi has earned 36 of his 44 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 32 of those win in Round 1.
Mousasi has earned five of his past six victories by knockout.
Carvalho had his 15-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since December 2011.
Carvalho suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Michael Page’s (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) nine-fight Bellator winning streak is tied with Ben Askren for the second longest streak in company history behind A.J. McKee (11).
Page’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind A.J. McKee (11)
Page’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak in welterweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Page’s nine victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Askren for third most in divisional history behind Andrey Koreshkov (11) and Douglas Lima (10).
Page’s seven stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) fell to 3-1 in Bellator welterweight competition. He’s 1-1 since he returned to the weight class in January 2017.
Rickels has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.
Rickels suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Aaron Chalmers (4-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has earned all four of his career victories by stoppage.
Ash Griffiths (4-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) suffered his fourth consecutive loss to extend the longest skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since August 2015.
Griffiths has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.
Mike Shipman (12-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) extended his winning streak to 12 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since his MMA debut in June 2013.
Shipman has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.
Shipman’s 11-second knockout tied the record for the fourth fastest in Bellator history.
Carl Noon (7-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
Anastasia Yankova (5-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) had her five-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
Phil Davis’ (19-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) two-fight Bellator winning streak in light-heavyweight competition is tied with Ryan Bader for the longest active streak in the division.
Linton Vassell (18-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has suffered five of his seven career losses by stoppage. That includes three of his four Bellator defeats.
For its milestone 200th event, you know Bellator was hoping to bring some sizzle. And the promotion delivered.
In the main event, a new champion was crowned as Gegard Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) ran through Rafael Carvalho (15-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) to claim middleweight gold with a first-round TKO.
Bellator 200 took place at The SSE Arena in London and aired on Paramount via same-day tape delay.
Mousasi’s finish capped off a night of finishes. Former light heavyweight champion Phil Davis (19-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) started off the main card with a massive head-kick knockout of Linton Vassell (18-7 MMA, 7-4 BMMA). Michael Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) made David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) quit following an impressive display of striking. Aaron Chalmers (4-0 MMA 1-0 BMMA) came back to choke out Ash Griffiths (4-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) with a standing guillotine. And Mike Shipman (12-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) needed just 11 seconds for a knockout win.
You can watch all of those highlights in the video above.
With Bellator having just hosted its milestone 200th fight card, MMAjunkie takes a look at the 10 winningest fighters in the history of the organization. Of note, all fighters included in this column fight at middleweight or below and have promotional debuts ranging from April 2010 to April 2015.
Former two-time featherweight champion Straus was as active as it got over his first four years in Bellator. The past several years have been a struggle and slowed his pace, though, with Straus having encountered injuries and a motorcycle accident that nearly ended his career.
With Bellator having just hosted its milestone 200th fight card, MMAjunkie takes a look at the 10 fighters with the most stoppage victories in the history of the organization.
Lombard, the former Bellator middleweight champion, fought just eight times under the Bellator banner, but he made the most of it by finishing all but one of his wins inside the distance.
McKee, who has competed in all of his career bouts under the Bellator banner, came out of the gate with five consecutive stoppage wins. His pace has slowed of late, though, with just two finishes in his past six bouts.
David Rickels is set to be on top of the Bellator record books once again.
On Friday, the promotion announced that Rickels will take on Bomba Vasconcelos in a welterweight bout at Bellator 210 on Nov. 30 from WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The event will air on Paramount and stream on DAZN.
The bout will mark the 21st of Rickels’ Bellator tenure, which will become the most in the promotion’s history, breaking a tie with Patricky Freieir, who had his 20th Bellator bout last month.
Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA), 29, will look to rebound from a second-round TKO loss to Michael Paige in May at Bellator 200. Prior to the lost, Rickels had won back-to-back fights.
Vasconcelos (10-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), 32, will look to make it two wins in a row after submitting Ivan Castillo earlier this year at Bellator 192. The Brazilian has won three of his last four fights and seven of his previous nine.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 210 event in Oklahoma.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMAjunkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).
Those MMAjunkie MMA reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 210 staff picks we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 210 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.
Bellator kicks off its weekend doubleheader on Friday with Bellator 210, which takes place at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following MMAjunkie-streamed prelims.
One of the most complete overall cards in company history is headlined by a matchup of middleweight contenders. Striking specialist Chidi Njokuani (18-5 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) meets grappling standout John Salter (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in the main event with the chance to move up in the title picture on the line.
For more on the numbers behind the first of two Bellator events this weekend, check below for 40 pre-event facts about Bellator 210.
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Main event
Njokuani was successful in his middleweight debut at Bellator 189 in December.
Njokuani has earned 10 of his 11 career stoppage victories by knockout.
Njokuani has suffered all five of his career losses by stoppage.
Salter fights on short notice as a replacement for Melvin Manhoef.
Salter has earned all 14 of his career victories by stoppage. He’s also been stopped inside the distance in all his losses.
Salter’s four submission victories in Bellator middleweight competition are most in divisional history.
Co-main event
David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) competes in his 21st Bellator bout, the most appearances in company history (two appearances have resulted in no-contests).
Rickels is 3-1 in Bellator welterweight competition. He’s 1-1 since he returned to the weight class in January 2017.
Rickels’ 13 victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Patricio Freire (16) and Michael Chandler (15).
Rickels’ eight stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied for fifth most in company history behind Chandler (11), Patricio Freire (10), Patricky Freire (nine) and Brennan Ward (nine).
Bomba Vasconcelos (10-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
Remaining main card
Bruna Ellen (4-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), 22, is the youngest of the fighters scheduled to compete on the card.
Ellen returns to competition for the first time since Aug. 25, 2017. The 462-day layoff is the longest of her career.
Ellen’s two-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Ilima Macfarlane (seven).
Juan Archuleta (20-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) enters the event on a 15-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since March 2015 in what was his only career blemish.
Archuleta was a three-division champion under the King of the Cage banner, holding titles at lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight.
Jeremy Spoon (20-4 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returns to Bellator for the first time since October 2012. He went 8-2 outside the organization between stints.
Preliminary card
Gerald Harris (25-7 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) is winless in two fights since coming out of retirement in April.
Chris Honeycutt (11-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) is 3-1 since he moved up to the Bellator middleweight division in June 2016.
Jordan Young (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) was successful in his light heavyweight debut at Bellator 201. He began his career as a welterweight.
Daniel Weichel (39-10 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) moves up to the lightweight division after making his 10 previous Bellator appearances at featherweight.
Goiti Yamauchi (22-4 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) is 3-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 19 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his nine Bellator wins.
Yamauchi’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied with Chandler, Marcin Held and Alexandre Bezerra for most in company history.
Joe Schilling (2-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returns to MMA competition for the first time since June 2015.
Schilling is 1-4 in his past five MMA fights dating back to September 2008.
Joe Warren (15-7 MMA, 13-6 BMMA), 42, is the oldest fighters scheduled to compete on the card.
Warren is the only fighter in Bellator history to win titles in two weight classes. He is a former featherweight and bantamweight titleholder.
Warren competes in his 20th Bellator bout, tied for the second most appearances in company history behind Rickels (21).
Warren competes in his 15th Bellator bantamweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Warren has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights. He lost his most recent bout at Bellator 195.
Warren’s 13 victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Patricio Freire (16) and Chandler (15).
Warren’s nine victories in Bellator bantamweight competition are second most in company history behind Eduardo Dantas (10).
Warren has earned 10 of his 15 career victories by decision. That includes nine of his 13 wins under the Bellator banner.
Shawn Bunch (7-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) returns to Bellator for the first time since September 2015. He went 3-1 outside the organization between stints.
Mike Shipman’s (12-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) three-fight Bellator winning streak in middleweight competition is tied for the longest active streak in the division.
Shipman enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t lost since his MMA debut in June 2013.
Shipman has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.
Shipman’s 11-second knockout at Bellator 200 is tied for the sixth fastest in Bellator history and fastest in middleweight history.
Noad Lahat (12-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is the only fighter in UFC history to suffer multiple knockout losses stemming from flying knees.
Brian Moore (11-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has alternated wins and losses over his past five fights. He was victorious in his most recent bout at Bellator 196.
THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Bellator 210 official fighter weigh-ins took place today, and MMAjunkie was on scene for the proceedings.
The weigh-ins took place at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla., which also hosts Friday’s event. Bellator 210 airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.
In the main event, Chidi Njokuani (18-5 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) takes on John Salter (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) at middleweight. The co-main event features David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) vs. Guilherme Bomba (10-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at welterweight.
All four fighters made weight.
The full Bellator 210 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 9 p.m. ET)
Chidi Njokuani (185.4) vs. John Salter (185.8)
David Rickels (170) vs. Guilherme Bomba (168.2)
Juan Archuleta (145.6) vs. Jeremy Spoon (142.6)
Bruna Ellen (125.8) vs. Kristina Williams (125.6)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 7 p.m. ET)
Daniel Weichel (154.8) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (155.6)
Will Morris (184.8) vs. Joe Schilling (185.8)
Scott Futrell (183.4) vs. Mike Shipman (185.4)
Adil Benjilany (145.4) vs. Daniel Carey (145.5)
Shawn Bunch (135) vs. Joe Warren (135.6)
Anthony Ruiz (205.6) vs. Jordan Young (204)
Hracho Darpinyan (185.6) vs. Gerald Harris (185.2)
Chris Honeycutt (183.6) vs. Costello Van Steenis (185.4)
Bellator is back in Oklahoma for the first of back-to-back shows this week, and a middleweight fight headlines the card.
Bellator 210 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.
In the main event, Chidi Njokuani (18-5 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) stays at 185 pounds to take on John Salter (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA). Despite Njokuani’s recent win in the weight class, it’s Salter with a fairly big 9-4 lead in the picks from our 13 MMAjunkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-feature, Bellator veteran and fan favorite David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) takes on Bomba Vasconcelos (10-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at lightweight. “Caveman” Rickels is carrying an 8-5 lead in our picks.
Also on the main card, Juan Archuleta (19-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is a near unanimous choice over Jeremy Spoon (21-4 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in their featherweight bout. Only one brave picker is going with Spoon. And to open the main card, Kristina Williams (2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has a big 9-4 lead over Bruna Ellen (4-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the picks for their women’s featherweight bout.
In the MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, Njokuani (62 percent), Rickels (75 percent), Archuleta (85 percent) and Ellen (54 percent) are the choices.
Bellator 210 takes place today, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. PT).
The event takes place at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. In the main event, Chidi Njokuani (18-5 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) takes on John Salter (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) at middleweight. The co-main event features David Rickels (19-5 MMA, 13-5 BMMA) vs. Bomba Vasconcelos (10-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at lightweight.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the preliminary card above at 7 p.m. ET before the main card shifts to Paramount and DAZN at 9 p.m. ET.
Rickels (20-5 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) made a company record 21st Bellator appearance on Friday. It went his way as he successfully outworked Bomba (10-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) over 15 minutes and took unanimous decision in the Bellator 210 co-headliner by scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
The welterweight bout took place on the Bellator 210 main card, aired on Paramount and DAZN following prelims streamed on MMAjunkie from WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla.
After suffering an “embarrassing” loss to Michael Page in his previous bout, Rickels vowed to come back stronger. He achieved that goal, grinding out some tough and compromising moments from Bomba and found ways to get the upper hand.
Although it wouldn’t have been a shock to see the judges give Bomba the nod, Rickels was happy with how it unfolded. He embraced his opponent in a big way before the scorecards were even read.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a Bellator win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
See what the main-card fighters of Friday’s Bellator 210 in Thackerville, Okla., went with as their backing tracks.
