FanPost

The Dynamic Narrative of the Heavyweight Division in Bellator


I am not a Bellator Shill. I am not employed by Viacom or any of its subsidiaries. (Although, I'd like to be). What I have recognized, however, is that the Bellator heavyweight division is filled with more uncertainty than that of the UFC. Some people may be wondering if the heavyweight division in Bellator is even relevant. After all, UFC castoff Cheik Kong is being touted by some as the inevitable champion of the division. On the other hand, Vitaly Minakov and Blagoi Ivanov have the Sambo backgrounds that have proved to be successful for fighters from Fedor Emelianenko, to Khabib Nurmagomedov. It remains open whether or not Cheik Kongo really has the all around skill set to challenge these two undefeated sambists. Only time and good matchmaking will reveal who the best in Bellator HW is.

Top MMA commentators generally agree, with a high level of certainty, that Cain Valasquez is going to remain the dominant heavy weight in the years to come. Most agree that Junior Dos Santos is doomed to a close second to Cain and will remain unchallenged by prospects such as Travis Browne and Stipe Miocic. After all, Travis Browne lost to Bigfoot (fluke injury) and Miocic lost to Stefan Struve. The narrative is relatively stagnant compared to other weight classes in the UFC.

In contrast, Minakov and Ivanov are undefeated and unproven. Current champion Volkov has a very precise karate style that wins points. Unfortunately, his loss to Vinny Magalhaes suggest that he doesn't have the skills to grapple with Cheik Kongo let alone champion sambists in Minakov and Ivanov. The narrative of the heavyweight division in Bellator remains uncertain in contrast to the UFC's. Even ranking prospects such as Minakov and Ivanov comes with a degree of uncertainty. Research shows that both may become great champions.

The UFC has picked up at least one Bellator champion in Hector Lombard. Ben Askren and Eddie Alvarez have struggled with Bellator contracts. Michael Chandler and Pat Curran, despite being excellent champions, seem to not be attractive prospects for the UFC. Then again, Dana and Joe Silva may be considering them and just not making it public. Will the UFC look to pick up heavy weight prospects from Bellator? Personally, I was look for Cole Conrad to transfer to the UFC. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all". Time takes its toll on every fighter. They have bills to pay. I personally look forward to seeing if the Bellator heavyweight division catches up to the UFC's. I'm keeping an open mind. I'd like to see what other folks think.