Last week’s Bellator 129 event was arguably the worst card in the promotion’s history, but Bellator 130 this week is a much different story. Along with the promotional debut of Marloes Coenen, this card also features the return of Bobby Lashley, a battle between two former tournament winners and a championship bout in the main event.
With that in mind, here are some reasons to tune into Bellator 130 Friday.
Championship Gold on The Line
Following his spinning back-fist knockout victory over Joey Beltran last month, Bellator light-heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton makes a quick return to the cage as he welcomes Linton Vassell, a winner of nine straight. The 30-year-old Newton is quietly riding a six-fight win streak and will no doubt look for the finish as he’s often been criticized throughout his career for not pulling the trigger. Vassell is a relative unknown–even to hardcore fans–but what makes this matchup intriguing is he holds a three-inch height and seven-inch reach advantage over his opponent. The English fighter has an opportunity to make a name for himself Friday night, by taking out the current 205-pound kingpin.
Rumina Debuts
Former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Marloes “Rumina” Coenen makes her much anticipated Bellator debut Friday as she squares off with Italian fighter Annalisa Bucci. Coenen is best known for her fights with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (twice) and current UFC fighters Sarah Kaufman and Miesha Tate. Despite coming off a loss, the 33-year-old Dutch striker is the favourite for a reason, taking the edge in experience with 27-career bouts under her belt as opposed to nine for her opponent. Much like the main event, Bucci is a relative unknown fighter but has won six of her last seven bouts. With 15-career submissions, expect Coenen to take this one to the mat and impress with a submission victory.
Lash-ing Out
Former WWE star Bobby Lashley makes his second appearance for Bellator this Friday as he matches up against undefeated Karl Etherington. The 38-year old had a successful Bellator debut last month submitting Josh Burns in the second round at Bellator 123. His opponent, 39-year-old Etherington looks for his 10th straight victory and is well versed anywhere the fight goes. Combined, these fighters have gone the distance just three times, so expect a finish in this one and it could be early.
Season 6 Champion vs. Season 7 Champion
In what has all the makings of the Fight of the Night, Season 6 lightweight tournament winner Rick Hawn drops back down to the 155-pound division as he battles Season 7 lightweight winner Dave Jansen. Hawn surprised a lot of people when he won the Season 7 welterweight tournament, despite being undersized for the division. Jansen has been hindered by injuries and hasn’t competed since defeating Marcin Held at Bellator 117 in March of 2013. This is a classic striker vs. grappler match, with Hawn boasting 11 knockout wins compared to Jansen’s 10 submission victories. With the tournament format scrapped, the winner of this fight could make a strong case for the winner of the lightweight championship matchup between Michael Chander and Will Brooks at Bellator 131 next month.
The Caveman Returns
On the undercard, Season 8 lightweight tournament winner David “The Caveman” Rickels returns to the cage against promotional newcomer Davi Ramos. Rickels is coming off a disappointing loss to Patricky Freire where he was knocked out in the second round. Looking to avoid his third loss in four fights, Rickels battles Ramos who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. Despite only having four career fights, Ramos is undefeated and has finished all of his opponents. These fighters have 14 finishes between them, so don’t expect this one going to the judges’ scorecards.
MAIN CARD
— Emanuel Newton (24-7) vs. Linton Vassell (14-3)
— Bobby Lashley (11-2) vs. Karl Etherington (9-0)
— Marloes Coenen (21-6) vs. Annalisa Bucci (7-3)
— Rick Hawn (18-3) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Derek Bohi (4-2) vs. Alex Huddleston (4-1)
— Aaron Derrow (13-8) vs. Nate Jolly (13-6)
— Darrion Caldwell (5-0) vs. Anthony Dizy (5-0)
— Sam Oropeza (11-2) vs. Gary Tapusoa (8-2)
— Daniel Gallemore (3-2) vs. Gzim Selmani (4-1)
— Marcio Navarro (12-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (8-9)
— Ricky Musgrave (12-4) vs. Joe Wilk (18-9)
— David Rickels (15-3) vs. Davi Ramos (4-0)