Bellator MMA may have saved its best for last. As the company wraps up the first round of its Heavyweight Grand Prix, two fighters who were considered among the favorites will square off in the main event on Saturday night as a part of Bellator 199 when Ryan Bader clashes with Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.
While many loved the slugfest that was Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir, most knew going in that both were past their primes and the fight could just devolve into a slopfest much like Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen and Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. But when the light heavyweight champion Bader steps in against King Mo on Saturday night, we could be in for one of the more athletic heavyweight matchups we've seen.
While neither fighter really carries the weight of a true heavyweight fighter, both come in with high aspirations of claiming the vacant heavyweight crown. Bader, though undersized, has to be considered one of the favorites with only five competitors left. He also believes he's still not to his true prime yet.
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"I could be totally wrong, and it's no disrespect to Mo whatsoever, but I just feel like we are at different times and different eras in our career," Bader told CBS Sports. "I feel like I'm just getting into my absolute prime. I still train two or three times a day and my body is feeling great where he hasn't fought in a year."
Meanwhile, the rest of the card is absolutely loaded. Fight fans get to see the return of Paul "Semtex" Daley when he takes on recent Bellator signee Jon Fitch. And, it's the return of top prospect Aaron Pico when he takes on Lee Morrison. Let's take a look at the rest of the card with the latest odds from 5Dimes.
Bellator 199 fight card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Ryan Bader -325 | King Mo +250 | Heavyweight |
Jon Fitch -170 | Paul Daley +140 | Welterweight |
Aaron Pico -550 | Lee Morrison +400 | Featherweight |
Cheick Kongo -185 | Javy Alyala +155 | Heavyweight |
Carrington Banks -260 | Adam Piccolotti +200 | Lightweight |
With a big main event on tap, we had the experts at CBS Sports pick who they think will be moving on in the heavyweight tournament.
| Fight | Campbell | Coca | Jorgensen | Mormile | Wise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bader vs. King Mo | King Mo | King Mo | Bader | Bader | Bader |
Campbell on why King Mo will win: With their physical advantages -- from Bader's height to Lawal's reach -- likely to cancel each other out as much as their similar wrestling bases threaten to do the same, this fight could very much come down to a boxing match. Bader's underrated jab and sneaky defensive style has often worked well to disguise takedowns and win the battle of points in close fights similar to his Bellator light heavyweight title win over Phil Davis last June. But Bader doesn't have a great track record when it comes to standing and trading, which is what Lawal is going to need to do in order to hold a clear advantage. Lawal is older, with a longer history of being injury prone. But the more he can turn this into a brawl, the greater his chances get.
Jorgensen on why Bader will win: It was nice to hear King Mo tell CBS Sports that he's about as healthy as he can be heading into this fight ... but I'm not entirely sure I believe him. Hip injuries are difficult enough to begin with, and while I try to leave age out of fights most of the time, I just can't in this instance. That wear and tear never truly goes away. Bader's well-rounded fight style will overwhelm King Mo, and the light heavyweight champion ultimately moves one step closer to becoming a two-division champion with a KO win after Lawal becomes gassed.
