Over the next couple of months, Bellator seems to be returning to a more frequent schedule, as Friday’s Bellator 173 (February 24, 2017) marks the second of three events on consecutive weeks. The end of March and April will see something similar, as the promotion will be holding cards on four straight weekends. First things first, however, as this weekend’s event will actually be a co-promoted event between Bellator and UK promotion BAMMA. That arrangement has worked out nicely for Bellator, as the intended main event of former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary and longtime UK standout Chris Fields had to be altered due to injuries to Fields and subsequent replacement Vladimir Filipovic. In their place, Brett McDermott has been tapped on extremely short notice to step into the main event slot opposite McGeary. Even with Ireland’s Fields out, the Belfast card still features a heavy Irish presence. SBG products James Gallagher and Sinead Kavanagh are also featured on the main card in favorable matchups. The other notable name is UFC veteran Colin Fletcher, giving prospect Alex Lohore his first real step up. The undercard is the BAMMA portion of the event, and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Norman Parke and Paul Redmond. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds for the Spike TV main card today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out: ——————– MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 9pm ET) Brett McDermott +600 Liam McGeary -1200 Over 1.5 +125 Under 1.5 -165 – Kirill Medvedovsky +335 James Gallagher -505 Over 2.5 -120 Under 2.5 -120 – Iony Razafiarison +335 Sinead Kavanagh -505 Over 2.5 -140 Under 2.5 +100 – Colin Fletcher +150 Alex Lohore -190 Over 1.5 -180 Under 1.5 +140 – -Preliminary Card BAMMA 28: Parke Vs. Redmond 02.24.2017 Belfast, Northern Ireland BAMMA Vacant Lightweight Championship | 155 lbs Paul Redmond +260 Norman Parke -380 – BAMMA Featherweight Championship | 145 lbs Damien Lapilus +125 Ronnie Mann -165 – ——————– Brad’s Analysis: McDermott has some power and is a decent wrestler by British standards, but I just don’t see the technique being there for him to have too much success against McGeary. Normally, McDermott relies on forward pressure to break down his opponents, but McGeary’s massive size advantage will negate much of that, and the skill difference on the feet and ground is significant. McGeary is a massive favorite for a reason here, and while I don’t use parlay legs this big for a reason, I wouldn’t fault someone trying to squeeze him in for an extra few cents. Bellator is invested in Gallagher, and while I still haven’t seen enough out of him to think that he’ll yield any long-term results, he is getting favorable matchmaking, and this is another example. Medvedovski has gone just 2-4 since moving beyond the Israeli regional scene, and those two wins have come against opponents with a combined 4-12 record. Gallagher will get a win in front of a somewhat hometown crowd, but his real test won’t come for a while based on how this regime has been progressing his opponents. All of the things I just said about Gallagher go the same for Kavanagh. Also, her opponent is even more unproven (she lost her lone Bellator appearance to a fighter who is now 2-3, and has lost her last two bouts against debuting opponents). I expect Kavanagh gets the TKO here, but I’ll be interested to see what happens when she faces a capable grappler. When Fletcher doesn’t have the height and reach advantage he’s used to, his defensive skills on the feet are lacking, and that could be a problem against Lohore, who is only an inch shorter and hits harder. Fletcher still has the ability to find a sub if this hits the ground, so he shouldn’t be discounted, but I’d need a decent dog price to play him.
