Bellator 207 Preview: Mitrione vs. Bader Preview Full Card

Coming off the back of the UFC 229 pay-per-view, Bellator MMA has a lot to live up to. With two back-to-back events this weekend, Bellator 207 and Bellator 208 are sure to light up the screens of Mixed Martial Arts fans as they tune in to see MMA content outside the UFC.

Bellator 207 is set to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Uncasville in Connecticut.

The main event of the night pits Ryan Bader against the likes of Matt Mitrione in one of the semi-final fights of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. The Light Heavyweight bout has attracted a lot of attention, especially after the difference in the way that the quarter-finals played out for both the fighters.

On the other side of things, the co-main event of the night is another fight which is quite worth seeing!

Roy Nelson and Sergei Kharitonov are set to meet in the co-main event of what is now looking to be a great start to the double-event weekend for Bellator!

Here is the card for the whole night:

Undercard:

1. Sean Lally vs. Kemran Lachinov
2. Mike Kimbel vs. Alex Potts'
3. Kastroit Xhema vs. Pat Casey
4. Sinead Kavanagh vs. Janay Harding
5. Nicholas Giulietti vs. Alex Ortiz
6. Tim Caron vs. Vinicius de Jesus
7. Lisa Blaine vs. Alexandra Ballou
8. Andre Fialho vs. Javier Torres
9. Kristi Lopez vs. Sarah Click

While the Undercard is amazing in and of itself, the Main Card is no less. Let's take a look at the fights that are waiting for us in the main card of the night!

---

#5. Carrington Banks vs. Mandel Nello:

Carrington Banks will look to make an impact!

While Carrington Banks is coming off a loss in his last fight, breaking his unbeaten run since starting his professional Mixed Martial Arts career. Having ended only two of his seven wins in anything other than a decision, Banks will be looking to grind out for the long haul when he meets Nello unless an opportunity presents itself.

On the other side of things, Nello is coming into this bout with wins in all six of his previous bouts. What's more, not a single one of his fights have gone to a decision. With four wins via submission and two wins via Knockout, Nello will be looking to finish his seventh fight early as well.

#4. Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson Jr. vs. Corey Browning:

Kevin Ferguson Jr. has a lot of work to do!

Since starting his professional Mixed Martial Arts career in Bellator, Kevin 'Baby Slice' Ferguson has had a good run. Despite losing his very first professional bout at Bellator 165 back in 2016, he has gone on to defeat the likes of DJ Griffin, Fred Freeman, and earlier this year, Devon Brock. All of his victories have come from either a Submission or a Knockout.

With three wins to his name as well, Corey Browning is no stranger to the Octagon. Although his start in the Octagon had been a good one with three back to back wins, he has since lost two fights, submitting both times. He will have to look to make sure he does not make it a third time in a row.

#3. Lorenz Larkin vs. Ion Pascu:

Lorenz Larkin is finally on his way back!

One of the fights, not too many people are paying attention to on this card is the one between Lorenz Larkin and Ion Pascu.

The fight is massively underrated and has the potential to be the best fight of the night.

Larkin, formerly signed to the UFC, has just managed to pick up his first win since leaving UFC when he beat Fernando Gonzalez. This will give him better confidence going into this fight against Ion Pascu.

Pascu, a veteran of the Octagon himself, is coming into the fight after a big win under the banner of Bamma following his loss in his last Bellator bout.

The fight could end up shocking everyone.

#2. Roy Nelson vs. Sergei Kharitonov:

Roy Nelson is a man to look out for!

Kharitonov has had quite a time in MMA, and with his hard-hitting striking background, he has held all his opponents at bay for a while.

Roy Nelson is not any other opponent, however.

Nelson has a lot of knockout power, something that proved to be fatal the last time Kharitonov was in Bellator, as he was hit within 20 seconds. Whether Nelson will gain the upper hand or not in this fight remains to be seen.

#1. Matt Mitrione vs. Ryan Bader:

UFC Fight Night: Browne v Mitrione

Mitrione and Bader meeting this early in the tournament is a shame that MMA fans will not be able to move past easily. Although this fight takes place at a weight level above the one that Bader is used to, his wrestling is sure to have a direct impact on the result of the bout.

Mitrione remains a great contender for the fight but looking at the fight from a neutral perspective, while Mitrione has a great record in Bellator with three knockouts, it will be difficult for him to repeat the feat once more.

At this point, the result of this fight is anyone's guess!