This Saturday, Bellator will be taking their show across the pond for Bellator 158 in London, England. The show will be the promotion’s second outside of North America, and first in the UK. The card features a litany of familiar names for fans of Bellator, UFC, and local UK promotions like Cage Warriors and BAMMA. Even oddly famous fighter/reality TV star Alex Reid will be returning from a four-year retirement to compete on the card. Aside from the standard Bellator gimmicks, there are some quality fights on Bellator 158, starting with the main event. Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima returns to the cage after dropping his title to Andrey Koreshkov last July. He’ll be taking on noted striker Paul Daley in what could be a very competitive bout if it stays on the feet, or see Lima with a big advantage if he’s able to get it to the ground. The co-main event has already seen a bit of controversy, as Matt Mitrione was rocked and unable to remember his fight just three weeks ago, and was already booked for another fight prior to that one taking place. Mitrione said he passed whatever concussion protocols Bellator has in place, but given that the UK is an unregulated environment — and Bellator may as well be at times — who knows what that means. Rising British prospect Michael Page makes his seventh Bellator appearance against ‘Cyborg’ Santos, and looks for another early stoppage against his most experienced fight to date. Santos has experienced a slight resurgence of late, but was stopped by Saad Awad in his last outing with Bellator. The other main card fights feature Francis Carmont taking on polish fighter Lukasz Klinger, and Conor McGregor’s undefeated teammate James Gallagher facing Mike Cutting. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for the five-fight main card of Bellator 158 today at Several Bookmakers: ——————– MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 9pm ET — Tape Delayed) Douglas Lima -210 Paul Daley +160 Over 2.5 -135 Under 2.5 -105 – Matt Mitrione -405 Oli Thompson +285 Over 1.5 +150 Under 1.5 -190 – Michael Page -855 Evangelista Santos +485 Over 1.5 +150 Under 1.5 -190 – Francis Carmont -600 Lukasz Klinger +400 Over 1.5 -120 Under 1.5 -120 – James Gallagher -405 Mike Cutting +285 Over 1.5 -130 Under 1.5 -110 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: I’m definitely concerned with Douglas Lima staying on the feet too long against Daley and trying to prove something. If he does that, he could get beaten up with Daley’s hands as he tries to use his leg kicks. However, Lima can avoid all that if he pursues takedowns diligently. I can’t trust that he’s going to do that, so I’ll pass on a bet here, but Lima has more ways to win, so he’s the pick. Mitrione should knock Oli Thompson out, but given his last fight, the short turnaround, and his age, I’m absolutely not trusting him even in these fights which are obviously catered to his skill set. Michael Page likely does the things that Michael Page does against ‘Cyborg’. Again, I have a hard time betting these massive prices on highly flawed fighters, so it’s a pass for me, but I doubt ‘Cyborg’ is able to dive on a leg, which is pretty much his only way to win this fight. Francis Carmont’s wrestling should look absolutely dominant against Lukasz Clinger. If it doesn’t, that’s a sign it’s time for Carmont to move on to other things, because Clinger’s wrestling has looked terrible on the Polish regional scene. I think Carmont is able to find a finish with ground-and-pound or a sub, but I don’t know when in the fight that happens, which makes it difficult to even play the total here. Finally, I’m really tempted to fade James Gallagher, as it’s tough to trust an Irish fighter who relies so heavily on his grappling, but Rich Chou has done a good job of finding him an opponent who really only offers grappling. This should end up on the mat, and Gallagher is more dynamic there than Cutting.
