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Bellator 206: Mousasi vs MacDonald - Sep 29 - Live on Channel 5


wandshogun09

Who wins and how?   

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The top of this says it's on live on 5;

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But yeah, it's disappeared from the planner/EPG. It was there the other day, now it just says 'This is Channel 5' in that slot. They'll probably update it. It might be because they only had it down for 2 hours and with a 6 fight main card it's obviously going longer than that. So I'm guessing it'll be updated soon with an extended time slot. I hope. 

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It keeps appearing and disappearing from the EPG. I’m guessing the non-sports minded scheduling department had it chucked on them this week and don’t know what the shit to do with it.

im not even sure MMA is legally compliant on terrestrial channels in the U.K. past 6am. If this goes long they could have a problem.

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Good interview with Rampage here. 

I've flipped and flopped so many times on liking/disliking Rampage over the years but when he's like this and stops being an overgrown child like he was on TUF years ago, he comes off well. 

Can't believe this fight is actually happening tomorrow. Part of the reason I've been so quiet on this fight (beyond the massive opening post, obvs) is because I don't think I fully believed it was going to end up happening. But here we are on the eve of the fight, both guys have weighed in and it's bloody happening. 

Rampage is winning the poll 10-0 at the moment. Who'd have ever thought back in these guys' primes when they were knocking seven shades out of each other that we'd see a poll for a fourth fight with one guy completely landsliding it? Nobody fancies Wandy to win tomorrow night. I don't myself either.

But the truth is, with these two anything can happen. If Wandy knocks him out I honestly won't be shocked. I think how bad he looked against Chael might've been a tad misleading because that was just an awful matchup for Wand stylistically AND after a 4 year layoff to boot. He's clearly way, way past his best. He was past his peak long before the whole USADA 'lifetime ban' mess. But I don't think he'd ever have fared too well against Chael's style. What he did show in that fight though, is that he can still crack and still has power. They weren't standing much in that fight but he still managed to drop Chael one of the few times Chael stood with him. He's still dangerous. 

Ultimately though, taking everything into account, I envision Rampage flattening him again :( Rampage is years and years beyond his prime too but at least he's been pretty active. From 2013-2017, while Wandy was inactive, Rampage fought 6 times and went 5-1. He's the bigger man by quite a bit these days as well. Rampage weighed in today at 254.4lbs. Wandy tipped the scales at 226.9lbs, with his fight shorts and a t-shirt on. 

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When you take into consideration Rampage's punching power, that near 30lbs weight advantage is fucking frightening. Then you factor in the mental edge that Rampage won their last fight and brutally KO'd Wand.

Like I say, it wouldn't come as a massive shock to me if Wanderlei landed a bomb and put Rampage away. In a fight like this one guy zigs when he should've zagged and it can be lights out fast either way. But I think Rampage's size coupled with his power, plus his being more active, is going to be too much for Wandy here. That plus in a shootout you should probably favour the guy with the better chin, and that's definitely Rampage in this one. His head is like a fucking cement boulder. 

Yeah. Wandy's getting ironed out most likely. 

Edit - oh and they touched on this being Wanderlei's last fight in that Rampage interview there. Wand has talked a lot recently about retirement and, believe it or not, going into politics! Fuck me. But over the last day or two he's cooled off on the R word a bit. I can't see him stopping even if he gets smashed tomorrow sadly. Still reckon we'll be seeing a Wandy vs Chuck rematch somewhere down the road. 

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Despite the weight, he looks alright in the picture. Its mental that its happening tomorrow and not a lot is being made of it. Wanderlei/Rampage is probably the feud that made me really get into MMA. Either that or Chuck/Tito and to have both pairs fight each other within the space of two months 15 years after i got into it is a bit weird. This sort of stuff doesnt happen in boxing does it? Or if it does, very rarely (Jones/BHop 2?).

As for the fight, i just hope they go out and give the fans what they want to see. I love Bellator but they've had a bit of a habit of signing these legends then matching them up with fighters or putting them in fights that predicatably end up being a bit boring (Chael/Rampage, Chael/Wanderlei), you surely aint getting that with Wanderlei/Rampage. Im taking Rampage given that weight advantage though, hes gonna be packing some serious power and he'll land early enough to make it effective.

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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It's a 6 fight main card with the potential for 5 rounds in the Gegard/Rory fight, so there's no way it's going just 2 hours. 

As for Rampage, I don't think he looks too bad at this weight physically. If that's the physique of a fat cunt then we have different standards. His head gets fat as fuck when he puts weight on though. But for a 40 year old man he's doing alright I'd say. Saying that, for fighting I don't think it's his optimal weight. He'll get away with it as long as he's fighting other ageing or smaller legends like Wandy though. Obviously he'd get fucked up in the UFC's heavyweight division (although I wouldn't be mad at a Rampage vs Mark Hunt fight) but he can get away with heavyweight in Bellator with the right fights. 

How do people see Mousasi vs MacDonald going? I fancy Gegard to win this one, maybe on points, but I'm not altogether sure why. Rory can be hot and cold though, and he's the smaller man in this one too. It's a great fight either way. It's a shame it's not gotten much attention really because it's one of the better fights of the year for me. But I think their dry personalities are a big part of the reason there's been a lack of hype. Should be a tremendous fight though.

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I think Rampage could have a decent run at heavyweight if hes serious about it. Unless he's in with a guy who outwrestle him (and there aren't many wrestling based heavyweights) i fancy him to do well, he'll take the chin and power up with him so i could see him taking out a good crop of Bellator heavyweights. 

Cant call Gegard/Rory, brilliant fight though. Maybe Mousasi's natural size advantage will be the difference.

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OK just got done with the weigh in. Nothing really happened but I can't wait for this now. 

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Mousasi vs MacDonald should be a fantastic fight. It might start out as a technical chess match but these guys are both so good that you get the feeling it's going to become a real battle as it goes on. Both have the ability to finish the other if a mistake is made on either side. Like I said earlier though, I fancy the Mousasi win. If you looked at both guys' most impressive performances it'd be hard to split them or give one man the edge but I just feel like Mousasi has been slightly more consistent, he's a bit bigger, probably a bit stronger and more powerful and, despite having so many fights, he might actually have less miles and damage on him which sounds mental but he's never really had a war like Rory did vs Lawler or taken a beating like Rory did vs Condit. I won't be shocked if Rory wins. He's good enough. I'm about 55-45 in favour of Mousasi. I just think that taking all things into consideration, Gegard has the advantage. 

Mousasi by Decision for me. Should be a great fight and a nice contrast to the throwback legends semi-freakshow in the co-main. 

Which leads me nicely to...

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Rampage vs Wandy 4. This is only ending one way, isn't it? Someone's getting knocked out. You can go on their past 3 fights and they've all ended in brutal fashion. But also, the way their styles match up and with the long standing grudge, you could put these two in there 50 times and it's always going to end violently. For the reasons I've gone into already though, I REALLY don't like Wandy's chances here. I'd love to be proven wrong. For all the damage he's done to his reputation the last few years, Wanderlei is my favourite MMA fighter ever and a huge reason I got hooked on the sport in the first place. I'd like nothing more than to see him roll back the years and play us one of his greatest hits, you know the one 'Knocking The Fuck Out Of Rampage', one last time and winning the feud definitively at 3-1. But Rampage has been more active, has the better chin and, most importantly/worryingly, he has serious legitimate one shot KO power combined with a 30lb weight advantage. I'm not joking when I say I hope the referee is on the ball for this one because it's a recipe for Wanderlei getting hurt badly. 

Rampage by KO all over. Probably inside a round and possibly in the first exchange. 

 

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Lima vs Koreshkov 3 kicks off the Welterweight Grand Prix and also neatly ties up the trilogy. Koreshkov won a clear and, to be honest, lacklustre decision the first time. Lima KO'd him in the rematch. Here we are. Pretty hard to call but either way I'm expecting a good fight out of it. A lot at stake as well with the GP prize money on the horizon and the trilogy bragging rights thrown in. Brilliant way to start the tournament. This is a 5 rounder as well, by the way. All the tournament fights are going to be 5 rounds. At least that's what Bellator emcee Michael Williams said at the weigh in. More on him later. 

I'll go Lima by KO/TKO again here. It's a well matched fight and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes Koreshkov's way but I feel like Lima is going to catch him. I feel like he's a better fighter since they last met. The Rory fight was hard though and might've taken something out of him, who knows? 

 

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Aaron Pico vs Leandro Higo is another potential cracker. This is a real test for Pico. Higo isn't world champion material but he's no pushover and he's by far the best fighter Pico will have faced up to now. He's a live underdog for sure. Interested to see how this one pans out. Pico has looked pretty great since losing his pro debut but this is a proper fight. 

I'll have Pico by KO/TKO though. Fuck it. Can see him maybe having to get through a couple of dicey moments but I think he's ready for the step up. Got to say though, it might be prickish of me but I can't help finding myself wanting to see Pico lose. He's undeniably an incredible prospect with bags of talent and potential but there's something unlikeable and irritating about him for me that I can't quite put my finger on. He gives off that vibe of a cocky twat who's been surrounded by people telling him how awesome he is all his life. 

 

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Keri Melendez vs Dakota Zimmerman is a fight I don't have much data to go on at all. All I really know of Melendez is she's Giblert's wife. I've seen her fight once or twice but nothing sticks out as memorable. She's 2-0 in MMA and has some Kickboxing experience. All I know of Dakota Zimmerman is she's making her MMA debut and has a lovely bum. Sorry but that's all I have to go on. I couldn't even find her age. 

Err Melendez by Decision probably. Coker's got a good relationship going back years with the Melendez's so he's probably hoping to build Keri up carefully. Hence giving her a main card spot vs a 0-0 rookie here. You never know though. She's only 2-0 herself and at 34 years old, it's not like she's some young prodigy. 

 

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Gaston Bolanos vs Ysidro Gutierrez opens up the main card. When knocking up the opening post, Bolanos is a name that was lost on me amongst the sea of Some Fuckers. Egg Shen highlighting him made me look into him though. He's 26, Peruvian and nicknamed 'The Dreamkiller'. He's currently 3-1, all his wins were first round KO/TKOs (including one via spinning back elbow and one a TKO via leg kicks) and his lone defeat was by submission. He also has a lot of Muay Thai experience. He's a former two time South American Muay Thai champion and US Muay Thai champion and has fought in a bunch of promotions, including Lion Fights. I couldn't find his complete Muay Thai record but I was watching a 2016 fight of his from Lion Fights earlier and he was 7-0 then vs a Thai guy whose name I can't spell who was 74-18-4! A mismatch on paper but I thought Bolanos won. They scored it to the Thai fighter. Bolanos is a bad motherfucker and still relatively young at 26. He's no doubt going to need work on his overall MMA game but he's got some real potential. 

Anyway, with all that said...Bolanos by KO/TKO. This Gutierrez guy is 4-2 and doesn't appear to be anything more than a sacrificial lamb here. 

 

So full main card predictions;

Gegard Mousasi by Decision

Rampage Jackson by KTFO :/ 

Douglas Lima by KO/TKO 

Aaron Pico by KO/TKO 

Keri Melendez by Decision

Gaston Bolanos by KO/TKO

 

Oh and is it just me or does anyone else think Bellator's ring announcer Michael Williams is fucking terrible? God he's so shit he even makes me long for Bruce Buffer. Here's his little intro before Mousasi and Rory weighed in...

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"And tomorrow night in the main event two...of the world's...best...will meet. They'll square off both are reigning champions...one has a chance to become the first two division...world title is here...at Bellator. AT STAKE the middleweight...title...OWNED by...one of...them and that of course Mousasi."

Almost Tito in Affliction levels of cringe. 

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May as well ask here Daz since you work there, will the Americans be getting the made for Western Europe shows, basically their version of Cage Warriors/BAMMA, as Coker said it will just be for the local market and not on the US Paramount Network or part of the 22 shows they run each year, just a regional thing. Obviously DAZN is for more hardcore fans and I'm guessing its more Bellator product to put out.

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Highly recommend everyone tunes in to see the Pico fight. He's a rookie in MMA terms and is taking a massive step but he has some legitimate top level potential, he could be sitting on top of the sport in a couple of years.

...ive cursed him now, odds on him getting laid out in the first?

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