A busy stretch of fights it will be for our MMASucka staff picks.
Kicking off an incredible span sees Bellator 284 set to begin tonight, August 12th from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, returning to the midwestern state venue for the third time in promotional history. The main card will begin at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) live on Showtime.
Results from the entire Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi will be available here at MMASucka.
All four promotions counted for our yearly picks will take place between Friday the 12th and Tuesday the 16th. PFL 7 2022 playoffs and UFC on ESPN 41: Vera vs. Cruz take place Saturday while Dana White’s Contender Series 50 goes down Tuesday. Stay tuned.
The Fights
Both looking for a big statement in the welterweight division, Neiman Gracie and Goiti Yamauchi will meet in the night’s featured five-round main event.
World-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Gracie has alternated wins and defeats since his undefeated professional run came to end in his 2019 title shot against former divisional champion Rory MacDonald. His most recent matchup came in defeat by unanimous decision to now-interim title holder Logan Storley in February. Gracie’s opponent, Yamauchi, has also made his name known for submission abilities having finished 21 of his 27 wins by either a triangle choke, rear-naked choke, or armbar. Tonight’s fight will his first Bellator main event in his 18th promotional appearance looking for his third straight victory after first round stoppages over Chris Gonzalez and Levan Chokheli.
In the co-main event sees heavyweights Valentin Moldvasky and Steve Mowry set for a possible three rounds. Russia’s Moldvasky targets a strong rebound after coming up short in his championship fight earlier this year against Ryan Bader. The fast-rising Mowry looks to keep his finishing percentage at 100% having stopped all ten of his MMA opponents since his professional beginnings in 2016.
Former flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and most-recent middleweight title challenger Austin Vanderford as also set for battle against their respected opponents on the night’s main card. See our Bellator 284 picks further below.
Staff Picks
Staff picks in 2022 will follow the same set of rules from the 2021 season. Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from both UFC and Bellator events. Main card fights and selected preliminary fights will be included for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will be composed of the entire fight card.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2022 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. A winner is determined simply by the individual correctly picking the most victorious fighters at the year’s end. Nate Freeman secured his first victory with MMASucka in 2021 with a compiled record 243-136.
Find our main card picks for Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi below.
Staff Records after Dana White’s Contender Series 49:
1. Nate Freeman: 162-79
2. Wesley Riddle: 161-80
3. Michael DeSantis: 158-83
4. Frazer Krohn: 155-86
5. William Dong: 153-88
6. Jeremy Brand: 147-88
7. Julio Monteros Jr.: 145-75
8. Chris Presnell: 143-92
9. Andrew Benjamin: 137-103
10. Tim Wheaton: 131-70
11. Mike Lynch: 123-74
12. Brandon Joint: 111-72
13. Ash Camyab: 105-77
14T. Brian Knight: 103-70
14T. Jack Goodwillie: 103-43
16. Coby Weinsier: 87-47
17. Chinyere Okafor: 72-38
18. Jacek Okninski: 70-58
19. Matt Bricker: 24-22
20. Roemello Reyes: 15-9
21. Joe Porter: 11-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Austin Vanderford (11-1), -180
vs.
Aaron Jeffery (12-3), +155
Middleweight Division
– 185 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Jeffery via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Jeffery via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Vanderford via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Jeffery via Round 2 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Jeffery via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Vanderford via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Vanderford: 10
Staff picking Jeffery: 4
Said Sowma (8-3), +160
vs.
Gokhan Saricam (7-1), -190
Heavyweight Division
– 265 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Saricam via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Saricam via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Sowma via Round 3 TKO
William Dong: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Saricam via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Saricam via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Sowma: 1
Staff picking Saricam: 13
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-2), -125
vs.
Bruna Ellen (6-3), +105
Catchweight Fight
– 129 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Macfarlane via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Ellen via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Macfarlane via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Macfarlane via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Macfarlane via Round 2 SUB
Chris Presnell: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Macfarlane via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: MacFarlane via Round 3 SUB
Staff picking Macfarlane: 13
Staff picking Ellen: 1
Valentin Moldvasky (11-2), -205
vs.
Steve Mowry (10-0), +175
Heavyweight Co-Main Event
– 265 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Moldvasky via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Mowry via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Mowry via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Mowry via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Moldvasky via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Mowry via Round 2 SUB
Tim Wheaton: Moldvasky via Round 3 TKO
Chris Presnell: Moldvasky via Round 2 TKO
William Dong: Moldvasky via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Mowry via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Moldvasky via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Moldvasky via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Mowry via Round 1 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Moldvasky via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Moldvasky: 8
Staff picking Mowry: 6
Neiman Gracie (11-3), -180
vs.
Goiti Yamauchi (27-5), +155
Welterweight Main Event
– 170 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Gracie via Round 3 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Gracie via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Gracie via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Yamauchi via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Gracie via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Gracie via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Gracie via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Gracie via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Gracie via Round 1 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Gracie via Round 3 SUB
Brian Knight: Gracie via Round 3 SUB
Jack Goodwillie: Gracie via Round 2 SUB
Roemello Reyes: Yamauchi via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Gracie via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Gracie: 12
Staff picking Yamauchi: 2
*Fight odds from DraftKings*
BELLATOR 284 FEATURED IMAGE:
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (left) and Bruna Ellen at weigh-ins for their Bellator 284 fight taking place Friday, August 12th from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (photo credits to Bellator MMA).
