Bellator 207 Main Card Predictions

#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