For the first time this year, two of the top MMA promotions in the world will be competing for your viewership this Saturday. While the UFC holds its first-ever event in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the ABC television network, Bellator MMA returns to the Max streaming service for its third Champions Series card at the same time.
Our focus for this piece is on the latter promotion. The first Saturday after the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere sees Bellator head to Dublin, Ireland for Bellator Champions Series 3. As with all Bellator cards in the new Champions Series era, this one can be seen wall-to-wall on Max inside the United States, while it streams on DAZN in some foreign markets.
Live coverage begins at noon ET/ 9 am PT on HBO’s streaming service with the undercard. Main card action follows at 3 pm ET/ noon PT on the platform.
Welterweight Gold at Stake in Bellator Champions Series 3 Main Event Saturday
All told, barring any late postponements or cancellations between now and the weekend, Bellator Champions Series 3 will feature 13 MMA bouts. Highlighting the night’s itinerary is the battle for the Bellator MMA Welterweight Championship in the Bellator Champions Series 3 main event.
Incumbent champion Jason Jackson (18-4 MMA, 8-1 Bellator) will meet up with challenger Ramazan Kuramagomedov (12-0 MMA, 2-0 Bellator) for the headliner. As with all Bellator MMA championship fights, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the show.
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Bellator Champions Series 3 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the Bellator Champions Series 3 main event on Saturday afternoon, Jason Jackson stands as the taller man at 6-foot-1, compared to Ramazan Kuramagomedov standing six feet even. Jackson owns a six-feet reach advantage (79 inches to 73 inches) over Kuramagomedov.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Jason Jackson installed as a -188 favorite on the money line, while Ramazan Kuramagomedov counters as a +145 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Jackson Ready for All Comers at 170
Jason Jackson enters the Bellator Champions Series 3 main event this weekend having posted a mark of 5-0 in his last five fights as part of a longer eight-fight winning streak. Most recently, he stopped Ray Cooper III (25-10-1 MMA) during PFL vs. Bellator: Champs on Feb. 24.
Recently, he talked with USA Today’s MMA Junkie about his plans to dominate the welterweight division in Bellator and the PFL.
“I just feel like [they’re] doubting me because I haven’t been on the UFC level to really make it easy as I’m making it look right now,” Jackson began. “I’ve [beaten] former UFC champions and UFC contenders, so once I get there, they will realize they’ve been sleeping on me.”
He’s hopeful that his efforts will eventually lead to a UFC deal. Jackson made an appearance on Contender Series in 2017, but the fight resulted in a TKO loss after an ankle injury.
While the lofty goals are always nice to have, he has to take it one fight at a time. It starts with the Bellator Champions Series 3 main event on Saturday.
Ramazan Kuramagomedov Hungry for Belt
In the other corner, Ramazan Kuramagomedov has gone undefeated thus far in his professional MMA career. Dating back to his amateur days, he’s won 13 consecutive fights.
Back in November, he bested Buddy Wallace (20-10-1 MMA, 0-1 Bellator) by second round submission (rear-naked choke) during Bellator 301 from Chicago, the last event from the promotion to air on Showtime.
Kuramagomedov was the focus of a video on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, where he discussed his bid at a title this weekend.
“He is much stronger than all [of] my previous opponents,” Kuramagomedov said of Jackson, through translated subtitles onscreen. “As I see it, he has character, fights to the end, and will fight for every second. He won’t want to give up a second of the fight. He’s durable, physically strong, and has decent wrestling defense. My strengths are that I can strike, I can grapple. I don’t even know what to highlight specifically.”
Like Jackson, Kuramagomedov also fought on Contender Series, though his contest resulted in a split decision victory. Will he pull off the upset? Tune in on Saturday and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series 3 main event looks to bring the fireworks. Both of these men can complete the assignment inside the distance.
Jackson Can Work Fast
Jason Jackson has the proclivity to make his days at the office short ones. You don’t need to travel that far back into the video library to find a quick finish, either.
During the second round of his February fight vs. Ray Cooper III, he scored a kick to the leg, knocking Cooper down on contact before moving in on him to land ground and pound shots, finishing the fight in a blistering 23 seconds. If Jackson establishes control of the fight in a hurry, he’ll defend the title.
Kuramagomedov Equally Vicious
In the other corner, Ramazan Kuramagomedov can also bring the pain, something that he illustrated in his November win against Buddy Wallace. Round two saw Kuramagomedov uncork a four-punch combination to back Wallace up against the cage fence, where he dropped him and landed some ground and pound.
From there, he continued to soften Wallace up, giving him a cut above the eye before locking in a rear-naked choke with almost a minute to go. Ramazan Kuramagomedov’s key to victory in the Bellator Champions Series 3 main event: Land combinations and land them often.
He can disrupt Jackson’s gameplan if he throws and lands punches in bunches.
Final Thoughts
This is an amazing fight on paper. Don’t miss it.
Prediction: Jason Jackson by Second-Round Knockout.
