Bellator 194 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday (Feb. 16, 2018) at 9pm ET live on Paramount Network. Another bracket of the heavyweight tournament takes place as Roy Nelson faces Matt Mitrione in a rematch from their 2012 matchup at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.
Nelson (23-14) won their first encounter by knockout in the opening stanza as Mitrione was a late replacement for Shane Carwin. Nelson came through in his Bellator debut back in September when he defeated Javy Ayala by unanimous decision at Bellator 183. The 41-year-old will look for his first two-fight win streak since April 2013. Mitrione (12-5) is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career when he knocked out MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the first round at Bellator NYC in June. The 39-year-old heads into this matchup on three-fight win streak and has remained undefeated under the Bellator MMA banner.
In the co-main event Patricky Freire faces Derek Campos in a rematch from their April 2014 matchup at Bellator 117 where “Pitbull” won by second-round TKO. Freire (18-8) is coming off a split decision victory over former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 183, which was his fourth win in his last five fights. The 32-year-old lone loss during that run was a June 2016 TKO loss Michael Chandler at Bellator 157, Campos (19-6) heads into this rematch on a four-fight win streak, including a second-round TKO win over Brandon Girtz at Bellator 181 in July. “The Stallion” hasn’t lost a fight since November 2015.
Also on the card former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary faces Vadim Nemkov. McGeary (12-2) is coming off a submission loss to Linton Vassell at Belaltor 179 and looks to avoid two-straight setbacks for the first time in his career. Nemkov (8-2) is currently riding a three-fight win streak including a first-round TKO victory over Philipe Lins at Bellator 182 in his promotional debut.
Heather Hardy looks to bounce back from her first career loss when she takes on fellow boxer Ana Julaton. Hardy (1-1) is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Kristina Williams at Bellator 185. Meanwhile Julaton (2-3) lost her Bellator debut in October, suffering a split decision setback to Lisa Blaine on that same Bellator 185 event.
Here’s Frank Trigg’s interview with Ty-Wan Claxton who faces Jose Antonio Perez in the opening matchup on the main card
Betting lines courtesy of Several Bookmakers.
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Bellator 194: Nelson vs. Mitrione
FEBRUARY 16, 2018
Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Connecticut
Opening Odds
Roy Nelson +140
Matt Mitrione -180
Derek Campos +180
Patricky Freire -260
Vadim Nemkov +200
Liam McGeary -280
Ana Julaton +400
Heather Hardy -600
Jose Perez +800
Tywan Claxton -1700
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Current Odds
Roy Nelson +126
Matt Mitrione -156
Derek Campos +150
Patricky Freire -180
Vadim Nemkov +107
Liam McGeary -137
Ana Julaton +235
Heather Hardy -285
Jose Perez +1033
Tywan Claxton -1773
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