Bellator is in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday for Bellator 206, a fight card that has a little something to satisfy almost any type of MMA fan.
For those who want to see a high-level fight between two of the most accomplished and respected fighters on the Bellator roster, there is the main event between middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi and welterweight champ Rory MacDonald. The two veterans face off for Mousasi’s title.
For fans who are into the whole, let’s say “legends” thing, Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva meet for the fourth time. The three previous meetings between these two ended in knockouts, with Silva scoring two stoppages to Jackson’s one.
Hardcore fans have the welterweight grand prix scrap between Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov to enjoy.
And for those who keep an eye on potential future superstars, Aaron Pico meets former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo.
Bellator 206 has all the makings of a big event, and that isn’t by accident. The card is the first under the promotion’s deal with streaming service DAZN.
Here are five reasons to watch.
1. Big fight, big goals
MacDonald is ambitious. How ambitious? Well, a few months after he won the Bellator welterweight title with a decision win over Douglas Lima, MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) watched Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) take the middleweight crown from Rafael Carvalho via a first-round TKO and decided two belts would be better than one. So MacDonald called for a fight with Mousasi. Bellator was initially cool on the idea, but the promotion warmed up and booked the fight. Not long after that, MacDonald’s name appeared in the group of eight fighters in the promotion’s welterweight grand prix, a tournament in which MacDonald’s 170-pound title will be on the line each time he competes.
Mousasi’s goals with Bellator are only slightly less lofty than MacDonald’s. In October, Mousasi told MMAjunkie his plans with the promotion included winning the middleweight title, fighting MacDonald, and competing at light heavyweight.
There’s so much to like about this fight. It’s arguably the most interesting and exciting fight that Bellator could make right now. Both men are ranked extremely high in their respective weight divisions. According to the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings, MacDonald is the No. 3 welterweight, while Mousasi checks in at No. 3 at middleweight. Both men are incredibly well rounded, and both are arguably fighting at the top of their games right now. I know the term super fight is played out and overused, but this is a fight that deserves that billing. In fact, this fight might be, at least on paper, the best fight in Bellator history.
Oh, it’s probably worth mentioning that MacDonald began his career at lightweight where he was the King of the Cage champion. As for Mousasi, in addition to his reign as Bellator middleweight champ, he has light heavyweight title runs in both Strikeforce and DREAM on his resume. Mousasi as fought Mark Hunt in the 2009 DREAM “Super Hulk” tournament.