Bellator return to Dublin, Ireland inside the 3Arena this Saturday night for the huge Bellator 275 card. Headlined by a middleweight title clash between Gegard Mousasi and the undefeated Austin Vanderford, the card is littered with big names throughout, as well as plenty of Irish talent. The MMASucka podcast crew breakdown the card in more detail on this weeks episode, which can be found here:
185lbs Strap up for Grabs
Headlining the 3Arena on Saturday night will be the legendary Gegard Mousasi returning to make another defence of his middleweight belt. The 57 fight veteran has been a stalwart of Bellator’s middleweight division since his introduction in 2017. With a Bellator record of 6-1, with that one loss being slightly controversial, Mousasi hasn’t looked like slowing down thus far. In his most recent two bouts, he’s looked dominant, defeating Douglas Lima over five rounds and finishing the gritty, experienced John Slater in three rounds.
Standing across from ‘The Dreamcatcher’ will be Austin Vanderford, the undefeated American (and of course, husband of Paige VanZant). At 11-0, the 31-year-old is yet to taste defeat in the professional ranks and holds a Bellator record of 5-0 having failed to gain a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. With that being said, he’s only competed twice since 2019, once in 2020 and once in 2021.
The Fight Itself
The fight will likely go one of two ways. Either Mousasi shows his class, experience and overall MMA knowledge to dominate Vanderford and show that the 46 more fights that Mousasi has had have given him the experience over the 11 fight career of Vanderford. He’ll be able to use his defensive wrestling to negate Vanderford’s offensive game in order to keep the fight where he wants it. With an impressive ground game and elite stand-up, Mousasi should have enough to dominate Vanderford.
With that being said, if Vanderford can get Mousasi to the ground (and his previous fights suggest that this will happen at least once in the fight), it may be a long night for the defending champ. The American’s heavy top game has got him to the dance and we can’t expect him to stray too far away from this tactic. We know his submission game is solid as he scored the upset of the year under the SUG banner in 2020 when he submitted the legendary Richie Martinez.
Father time could catch up with Mousasi and lead to a changing of the guard in the Bellator middleweight division. Vanderford could use his youth to outwork Mousasi on his way to a dominant decision victory. At 36, the battle-worn Mousasi can’t keep up with Vanderford, who manages to wrestle his way to a five-round W and capture the belt. Tune in on Saturday night to find out how to fight plays out!
2⃣ days until we take over @3ArenaDublin! 🇮🇪
Which fight are you most excited for?#Bellator275 | @bbcthree | Friday, 9pm GMT pic.twitter.com/UVaBCpE5y7
— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) February 23, 2022
Co-Main Featherweight Clash
Originally scheduled to be Peter Queally vs. Kane Mousah in the co-main event, there has had to be a last-minute change. Unfortunately, one of the biggest names in Irish MMA, Queally, fresh off a title fight, has had to withdraw from the bout with an injury on fight week. Instead, the sweetheart of the Bellator featherweight division, Leah McCourt will face off against fellow Irish powerhouse, Sinead Kavanagh.
Kavanagh is fresh off a knockout loss in her title fight against Cris Cyborg. She certainly holds the experience in high-level fights over McCourt, having fought more experienced opposition. She’s got knockout power, as her nickname suggests, with over half of her wins coming via knockout finish. A win over McCourt will go a long way in getting her back into the title picture.
McCourt is enjoying a six-fight winning run, with some big Bellator wins to her name. She defeated the inexperienced Jessica Borga last time out in London. She’s got a solid ground game, which we saw on show when submitted Janay Harding, following an upkick.
Expect McCourt to look to close the distance as soon as the fight starts. What’s going to be difficult for McCourt is avoiding the power of Kavanagh. If she can do that, she will likely be able to fight in the clinch to get the three-round decision victory. If she can’t, it could be a short night in favour of Kavanagh.
Others to Look Out For
Elsewhere, Brett Johns makes his second Bellator appearance, looking for his first win. He’ll clash with the undefeated, Khurshed Kakhorov. Veterans Charlie Leary and Brian Moore both feature on this card as does highly touted prospect, Lee Hammond.
Featured Image courtesy of Bellator MMA.
