Saturday night marks the start of a loaded run of cards for Bellator MMA. Not only does Bellator 226 have the heavyweight title on the line, but it also marks the beginning of a 16-man Featherweight Grand Prix to declare a new champion at 145 pounds.

Double champion Ryan Bader will put his heavyweight strap on the line when he takes on Cheick Kongo in the main event from the SAP Center in San Jose. Bader claimed the vacant belt by winning the Heavyweight Grand Prix earlier this year with victories over "King Mo" Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko.

Kongo, meanwhile, is riding an eight-fight winning streak, including a decision win over Vitaly Minakov earlier this year to earn his shot at winning Bellator gold. He has lost just two times since signing with Bellator MMA in 2013.

Also on this card are former Bellator featherweight champs Pat Curran and Daniel Straus as well as top prospects Adam Borics and Tywan Claxton. Let's take a closer look at each fight on the main card and make a prediction for how each bout will go.

Can't get enough MMA? Subscribe to our podcast State of Combat with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon, including a preview of Bellator 226 at the 1:27:08 mark below.

Bellator 225 viewing information

Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: SAP Center -- San Jose, California
Stream: DAZN

Bellator 226 fight card, odds, picks

Ryan Bader (c) -345 vs. Cheick Kongo +275 -- Heavyweight championship: Bader (27-5) is on one of the most impressive current runs in the MMA world. During his seven-fight winning streak, Bader won the final fights on his UFC contract, joined Bellator where he won the light heavyweight championship in his first fight for the promotion, defended the title and jumped to heavyweight, ripping through the World Grand Prix to become champion. In fact, Bader holds an 11-1 record dating back to 2014.

With wins over Mo Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko since jumping to heavyweight, it's not hard to see why Bader sits as a sizable favorite against the larger Kongo (30-10-2). Nor is it entirely crazy for Coker to have called Bader "the best heavyweight fighter on the planet."

Kongo has found his own run of success within the Bellator cage and is currently riding an eight-fight win streak. In February, he earned his shot at the championship by winning a title eliminator rematch against former Bellator heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov. Kongo is 12-2 since joining the promotion and this will be his second shot at Bellator gold after losing to Minakov in April 2014.

Bader has shown he can score big knockouts on the feet but will have to be wary of closing distance to get off his big punches. Kongo is a patient fighter, to the point of dragging down the pace of many fights. But Bader is unlikely to allow Kongo to be the one controlling the pace. Once Bader establishes range and throws Kongo off his game, it'll be a good night for the challenger. Prediction: Bader TKO3

Pedro Carvalho -333 vs. Sam Sicilia +250 -- Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix first round: Sicillia (17-9), a UFC veteran, is a tough fighter to get a read on. His record between the UFC and Bellator is 7-8, but he has the skills to be a threat to many fighters at 145 pounds. Carvalho (10-3) appears to be finding his groove in the Bellator cage with three straight wins since joining the promotion. The two men share a common opponent in their most recent bouts with Sicillia edging out Derek Campos by split decision in December while Carvalho took just over two minutes to knock Campos out in May. Carvalho has five submission wins in his career while Sicillia is prone to tapping. Prediction: Carvalo SUB2

Daniel Straus -333 vs. Derek Campos +250 -- Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix first round: The aforementioned Campos (19-9) enters the tournament despite being on a three-fight losing skid. In addition to losing to Sicillia and Carvalho, Campos also lost to Patricky Pitbull during his skid. The Pitbull loss was his last fight at lightweight, at which point he dropped to 145 pounds. Straus (26-8) is a two-time featherweight champion who lost the crown to Patricio Pitbull in April 2017. Straus has only fought twice since after being involved in a near-fatal car crash, losing to Emmanuel Sanchez before rebounding with a win over Shane Kruchten this March. Prediction: Straus UD

Adam Borics -137 vs. Pat Curran +110 -- Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix first round: Curran (23-8) was one of the first "Bellator-made" stars after 2010 wins over highly touted Mike Ricci and former UFC star Roger Huerta. His accomplishments include winning the Season Two Lightweight Tournament, the 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament and two runs with the Bellator featherweight title. Curran had a three-fight winning streak snapped in his most recent outing, a decision loss to A.J. McKee. Broics (13-0) is an undefeated up-and-comer who most recently stopped mega-prospect Aaron Pico with a flying knee KO. The Hungarian could add another impressive name with a win over the two-time champ. Prediction: Curran UD

Emmanuel Sanchez -200 vs. Tywan Claxton +160 -- Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix first round: The interesting thing about the tournament is the amount of information we have on head-to-head fights or common opponents. Sanchez (18-4) has battled Curran, Straus and Sicillia already. Claxton (5-0) has fought no one in the tournament, however, and comes in with the least amount of pro fights of anyone in the bracket. Four knockouts in five victories in Bellator earned Claxton his chance to prove he can hang with the elite of the featherweight roster. Sanchez is two fights removed from losing in his bid to wrest the featherweight title from the waist of Patricio Pitbull. He defeated Georgi Karakhanyan in May to get back on the winning track. While Sanchez will enter the cage as the favorite, this one has the feel of an upset. Prediction: Claxton KO1