Bellator 207 Main Card Predictions

Main Card:

Heavyweight: Matt Mitrione vs Ryan Bader

Heavyweight: Roy Nelson vs Sergei Kharitonov

Welterweight: Lorenz Larkin vs Ion Pascu

Lightweight: Kevin Ferguson vs Corey Browning

Lightweight: Carrington Banks vs Mandel Nallo

Kicking off a doubleheader of Bellator shows this weekend is Bellator FC 207 which seems set to be a hugely exciting MMA card headlined by Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader as they bid to continue their journey to become Heavyweight Champion.

Underneath there are four more exciting fights on the card which promise explosive action.

The following slideshow previews all upcoming main card fights set to take place at the big show and makes predictions for the outcomes of each fight.

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#1 Lightweight: Carrington Banks vs Mandel Nallo

Carrington Banks - Set to face unbeaten Lightweight, Mandel Nallo

"The Jetsetter" Carrington Banks will be looking to improve his MMA record to 8-1 versus the little known Mandel Nallo.

Banks was undefeated prior to his loss in his most recent bout versus Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 199 and is very much focused on quickly returning to winning ways.

Nallo, despite having competed in MMA for six years has only contested six bouts. He remains unbeaten but a bout with Banks will be a notable step up in quality for him. It is likely one challenge he will not be able to overcome.

Prediction: Carrington Banks via Decision

#2 Lightweight: Kevin Ferguson Jr vs Corey Browning

Kevin Ferguson Jr - Will face Corey Browning

Kevin Ferguson Jr is the son of the late Bellator and UFC fighter, Kimbo Slice.

In his short career thus far he has demonstrated that he is a superior fighter to his late father.

Adept at submissions and striking, Ferguson Jr is a rising well-rounded prospect and has already competed for Bellator four times, winning his last three bouts.

Corey Browing is set to make his Bellator debut, having won three and lost two of his five professional bouts. However, his two defeats have come in his most recent fights and he has proven himself vulnerable to submissions.

Therefore, Ferguson Jr is likely to continue his winning run.

Prediction: Kevin Ferguson Jr via submission

#3 Welterweight: Lorenz Larkin vs Ion Pascu

Ion Pascu - Set to take on Lorenz Larkin

Ion Pascu is a fighter that has been around for quite some time but for one reason or another has never broken out to earn legitimate success.

Making his second appearance for Bellator, the Romanian fighter has a legitimate opportunity to smash through the glass ceiling against a top opponent in Lorenz Larkin.

Unfortunately for Pascu, however, is that the likely result is a Lorenz win.

Lorenz has more top-line fighting experience, having competed in Strikeforce and UFC but lost his first two fights in Bellator and is still looking to establish himself in his new home.

Lorenz is a skilled striker and should be too hot for Pascu to handle. This one won't go the distance.

Prediction: Lorenz Larkin via Knockout

#4 Heavyweight: Roy Nelson vs Sergei Kharitonov

"Big Country" set to collide with the big Russian

42-year-old Roy Nelson has a 50/50 record for Bellator having been eliminated in the last round of the Heavyweight Championship tournament by Matt Mitrione.

He had earlier defeated Javy Ayala in his Bellator debut. The UFC veteran has impressive victories under his belt and despite his advancing age and his less than stellar record over the past four years will still be a formidable opponent for the Russian, Sergei Kharitonov.

Kharitonov has also been around for a long time having competed in the popular but now-defunct Pride FC promotion in Japan in the mid-2000s and is returning to Bellator after 18 months away from the company.

This will no doubt be a quick match between two heavy hitters but who will land the knockout blow?

The favorite has to be Kharitonov. His recent fight record is far superior to Nelson's and due to his Kickboxing background and greater flexibility has more striking weapons to hurt Nelson then Nelson does to hurt him.

Therefore, there can be only one winner.

Prediction: Sergei Kharitonov via Knockout

#5 Heavyweight: Matt Mitrione vs Ryan Bader

Who will advance to the Heavyweight Final?

Ryan Bader was once one of UFC's biggest stars, exploding onto the scene back in 2008 as the winner of the Light Heavyweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter 8 series.

He defeated huge MMA stars during his tenure for UFC including the likes of Keith Jardine, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (twice), Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans.

Moving to Bellator in June 2017 after his UFC contract expired and the MMA powerhouse chose not to match his Bellator contract offer, Bader won the Light-Heavyweight Championship in his debut from Phil Davis; a title he still holds.

Bader, thus far unbeaten in Bellator moved up to Heavyweight at Bellator 199 in May to defeat Muhammad Lawal in the Quarter Finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix to determine the new Bellator Heavyweight Champion.

Competing against Bader in the Semi-Finals is 40 years old, Matt Mitrione.

Mitrione also has UFC pedigree and was a featured contestant on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Mitrione also holds notable wins in his UFC career over names such as Kimbo Slice, Derrick Lewis, and Gabriel Gonzaga.

Most notably in his Bellator career, he also holds a dominating win over Fedor Emelianenko, one of only five men to defeat the legendary Russian.

This bout is an extremely tough one to call. Mitrione unquestionably has the advantage at Heavyweight, having spent his entire career fighting at that weight while Bader has one solitary match experience at Heavyweight.

However, despite that fact, Bader has time and again proved he has the footwork and skill to defend against larger opponents. He is also superior at combining wrestling and striking and has youth on his side. This should be Bader's fight.

Prediction: Ryan Bader via Decision