Bellator 158: "London" takes place this Saturday night (July 16, 2016) inside O2 Arena in London, England. The Spike TV-televised main card is headlined by a part of Welterweight bouts that feature hometown favorites -- Paul "Semtex" Daley vs. Douglas Lima and Michael "Venom" Page vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.
This card has undergone heavy restructuring since the untimely death of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, who was originally set to face James "The Colossus" Thompson in the main event. In addition, Daley was originally set to rematch Josh Koscheck, but after he withdrew Lima stepped up to replace him.
With all the re-shuffling and late changes, one might think this is a "cursed card," but as it turns out Bellator has actually cobbled together a pretty solid line up with fights that should be fun to watch on Spike and even more appealing to local fans seeing Bellator in the United Kingdom for the very first time.
Let's break it down:
170 lbs.: Douglas Lima (26-6) vs. Paul Daley (38-13-2)
"Ring rust" is real and has to be a concern for Lima after nearly one year off since he lost the Welterweight title to Andrey Koreshkov. He's called "The Phenom" for a reason, though, finishing an incredible 88 percent of his wins -- 12 by knockout and 11 by submissions. And of his six losses, he has only been finished twice (one knockout, one submission). Before losing the title, Lima had been on a five-fight win streak where every bout was finished via (technical) knockout.
When it comes to striking power, though, few fighters are as explosive as "Semtex." The veteran fighter has a combined 42 knockouts in his combat sports career -- 28 in mixed martial arts (MMA) and 14 in kickboxing. He's currently on a five-fight win streak in his own right, finishing four out of five via (technical) knockout, including two fights in BAMMA and three since he returned to Bellator. Even though he has got an incredible amount of experience, he's a relatively young 33 years old.
However, Lima, 28, is even younger, so it's fair to say he hasn't peaked yet. And while Daley possesses that one punch "stop a rhinoceros in its tracks"-type power, his 13 losses say that a fair percentage of his opponents have figured out his game. Daley is a killer in the first round, but his muscular, shorter physique tends to lead to fatigue the longer a fight goes. Lima also seems to be vulnerable in longer fights, though, as 66 percent of his losses (four out of six) come by decision. This one is a coin flip ... almost.
Final prediction: Douglas Lima via split decision
265 lbs.: Matt Mitrione (10-5) vs. Oli Thompson (17-8)
Mitrione absolutely got his bell rung fighting Carl Seumanutafa in St. Louis last month; in fact, he couldn't remember the fight afterward even though he went on to win. Bellator had to medically clear him to fight again on short notice in London, and it's certainly an intriguing fight. Thompson is on a five-fight win streak and has seven knockouts and six submissions to his credit. At 6'1" and 255 pounds, he's built like a brick shithouse and is also the former holder of the title, "Britain's Strongest Man."
It's not all downhill for Mitrione in this fight, though. They are relatively close in age -- Thompson is 36 and Mitrione is 37. As a former NFL player and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, he's got a lot of hard contact experience. And if the Seumanutafa fight proved anything, it's that Mitrione is incredibly tough to finish. With nine out of 10 wins via knockout, we know Mitrione hits with power when he lands. And at 6'3" and 249 pounds, he's as well built as Thompson if not arguably better. Provided Mitrione doesn't have any distractions in this fight like he did last time, he could turn in a much better performance.
Final prediction: Mitrione wins via second round technical knockout
170 lbs.: Michael Page (10-0) vs. Evangelista Santos (21-17)
Page is one of the most flashy fighters on the Bellator roster ... and he's not shy about showing off in a bout. That's earned him an equal number of supporters (and detractors), but at least no one is on the fence when it comes to their opinion of "Venom" Page. With six knockouts and three submissions, you can't discount his skills even if you dislike the cockiness. The big knock on Page is that he hasn't faced an opponent who can really test him yet.
Santos might be the man to answer that question given he's 38 years old and has had 38 professional fights. His professional record is almost even on paper, but you can't count him out in any fight as his 30-second submission of Brennan Ward at Bellator 153 proved. On the other hand, Santos might not be the man to answer that question given he's got a fragile chin and can be finished by a decent striker if he doesn't get that submission. And Page is more than decent and way more dynamic.
Final prediction: Michael Page via first round knockout
205 lbs.: Lukasz Klinger (7-2) vs. Francis Carmont (24-11)
"Limitless" Carmont once reeled off an impressive streak from 2008-2013 in UFC, but once he lost a decision to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza his career inside the Octagon went South in a major way. After seeing Phil Davis knockout Carmont cold, I didn't have high hopes for his Bellator prospects, but owing to his original opponent Linton "The Swarm" Vassell withdrawing with an injury, I give him a much better chance against Lukasz Klinger. Klinger won six straight to star his professional career, but has lost two of his last three by knockout, so he'll need to get on the right track against a much more experienced man.
Final prediction: Carmont wins via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: James Gallagher (3-0) vs. Mike Cutting (6-5)
A late addition to the Spike TV main card features the training partner of UFC Featherweight champion, Gallagher, going against the journeyman fighter, Cutting. The emphasis on McGregor is not by accident by the way -- the press release makes it clear that this is the reason fight fans should care about this fight. "The Strabanimal" might be as good as they say at 3-0 with three submissions, but Cutting will be a good test given he has three times as much experience. All six of Cutting's wins come by submission, so Gallagher may not have the automatic advantage you'd expect for such a highly touted prospect.
Final prediction: Gallagher edges out a close unanimous decision
That's a wrap!
MMAmania.com will deliver live coverage of Bellator 158: "London" tomorrow night, with real-time results throughout the evening followed by Spike TV fights at 9 p.m. ET. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.