The first card of our triple-header weekend is in for our MMASucka staff picks. Kicking things off later this evening, September 11 will see Bellator 245 go down from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The four-fight main card will begin at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) live on both Paramount Network and DAZN.
Stay tuned tomorrow for both our Bellator 246 and UFC Fight Night 177 staff picks.
The Fights
Light heavyweight veterans Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida are slated to battle in the main event slot. The two previously met in August of 2013 with the UFC, just over seven years ago, seeing Davis taking the debatable unanimous decision win over Machida. Since their first affair, Davis made his mark by signing with Bellator and capturing the 205-pound title for a brief period. Only two split decision losses to Ryan Bader for the title and now-king Vadim Nemkov have triumphed his run through ten promotional fights. Machida, the UFC’s former light heavyweight champion, will make his fourth appearance inside the Bellator cage. He will look to snap a recent split decision defeat to Gegard Mousasi last September.
Two ladies make their return in the co-main event at featherweight between Cat Zingano and Gabby Holloway. Fan-favorite Zingano makes her promotional debut after nearly two years outside of fighting looking to bounce back after an injury defeat to Megan Anderson. Her opponent, Holloway, has an even longer hiatus of three and-a-half years outside of the promotion due to her U.S. Army deployment. She looks to return on top in the win column, as we last saw her defeat Alexis Dufresne in March of 2017.
See our MMASucka staff picks for the rest of Bellator 245 further below.
Staff Picks
Throughout the year, staff picks will be composed of five different MMA promotions. UFC, Bellator, ONE, and RIZIN all appeared for the 2019 season and will make returns. The newest addition for the 2020 year will see the PFL including their regular season, playoffs, and championship card. A special staff picks bonus will be introduced and discussed regarding PFL’s playoff format as time gets closer.
Main cards will makeup both UFC and Bellator picks, while the biggest fights to make up ONE, RIZIN, and PFL events will be used. The WINNER of staff picks will have a choice between receiving a championship belt from ProAmBelts or a championship chain from Championship Chains. The 2019 winner was awarded to Michael DeSantis, compiling a record of 321-178. Second-place Connor Deitrich collected a close score of 319-180 with third-place Ed Gallo not far behind totaling at 312-183.
Check out our Bellator 245 staff picks below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 176:
1. Connor Deitrich: 134-54
2. Michael DeSantis: 133-54
3. Wesley Riddle: 123-57
4. Matt Bricker: 119-69
5. Jack Buchanan: 113-52
6. Frazer Krohn: 112-76
7. Jeremy Brand: 111-64
8. Dan Rose: 110-78
9. Nate Freeman: 109-67
10T. Ash Camyab: 107-77
10T. McKenzie Guardiero: 107-81
12. Mike Lynch: 103-62
13. Ryan Hobbs: 99-64
14. Andrew Benjamin: 96-86
15. Ashwin Viswanathan: 83-51
16. Mike Skytte: 67-45
17. Mitchell Banuelos: 64-39
18. Ed Gallo: 54-27
19. Joshua Yule: 52-26
20. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
*Note: not all staff has picked for every event*
Raymond Daniels (2-1) vs. Peter Stanonik (5-4)
Jeremy Brand: Daniels via UD
Wesley Riddle: Daniels via UD
Michael DeSantis: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Daniels via Round 2 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Daniels via Round 2 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Daniels via UD
Dan Rose: Daniels via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Daniels via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Daniels via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Daniels: 13
Staff picking Stanonik: 0
Ed Ruth (8-2) vs. Taylor Johnson (5-1)
Jeremy Brand: Ruth via UD
Wesley Riddle: Ruth via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Ruth via UD
Matt Bricker: Ruth via UD
Connor Deitrich: Ruth via UD
Ash Camyab: Ruth via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Ruth via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Ruth via Round 1 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Ruth via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Ruth via UD
Mike Lynch: Ruth via UD
Nate Freeman: Ruth via UD
Jack Buchanan: Ruth via UD
Staff picking Ruth: 13
Staff picking Johnson: 0
Cat Zingano (10-4) vs. Gabby Holloway (6-5)
Jeremy Brand: Zingano via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Zingano via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Zingano via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Zingano via Round 1 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Zingano via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Zingano via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Zingano via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Zingano via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Zingano via UD
Dan Rose: Zingano via Round 1 SUB
Mike Lynch: Zingano via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Zingano via Round 1 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Zingano via UD
Staff picking Zingano: 13
Staff picking Holloway: 0
Phil Davis (21-5) vs. Lyoto Machida (26-9)
Jeremy Brand: Davis via UD
Wesley Riddle: Davis via UD
Michael DeSantis: Davis via UD
Matt Bricker: Davis via UD
Connor Deitrich: Davis via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Machida via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Davis via SD
Frazer Krohn: Davis via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Davis via UD
Dan Rose: Davis via UD
Mike Lynch: Machida via UD
Nate Freeman: Davis via SD
Jack Buchanan: Davis via UD
Staff picking Davis: 11
Staff picking Machida: 2
FEATURED IMAGE:
Raymond Daniels (left) and Peter Stanonik (right) pose at weigh-ins ahead of their Bellator 245 main card fight taking place Friday, September 11th from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut (photo credits to Bellator MMA)
