Bellator 260: Lima vs. Amosov Preview

Bellator returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena for it’s latest instalment on Saturday, June 11. A welterweight title showdown between Douglas Lima and Yaroslav Amosov that is set to take place in the main event. UK MMA veteran Paul Daley will take on Jamaican Sensation Jason Jackson in the co-main event.

The main event, a bout between current champion Douglas Lima and undefeated contender Yaroslav Amosov can only be described as a mouthwatering affair. Lima will be looking to get the bitter taste of defeat out of his mouth from the disappointment of his loss in his last fight. He tried, and failed to become a Bellator duel champion. The Brazilian took on middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi but left that fight disappointed after dropping a one-sided unanimous decision.

Don’t let that result fool you, the welterweight champion still is at the top of his game and is a high level fighter. His opponent, Yaroslav Amosov, is also very high level and has yet to taste defeat in his professional career. The Ukrainian has been apart of Bellator since 2018 and has fought and won six times for the promotion. He has a perfect professional record, winning 25 out of 25 fights, and that is not to be snuffed at. When he steps in against Lima he will be taking a massive step-up in competition, a win in this fight will totally validate Amosov as a big player in the MMA world.

Not that a man that is 25-0 needs validation from me, but Lima is a top level fighter and it would be Amosov’s best win by a mile. This should be a super exciting fight, Lima will be hungry for success after his failure to capture the middleweight crown. For his opponant, it’s his chance to announce himself to the North American market and he has a great opportunity to to become the new king of the Bellator 170-pound division. A main event that is not to be missed.

I am always happy to see Paul Daley’s name on any fight card. The man breathes excitement and is rarely in a boring fight(I’m looking at you MVP!). Daley had a wonderful come from behind victory when he fought Sabah Homasi in his last encounter. Daley was on the brink of defeat, but he dug deep and went on to finish his counterpart in the second round.

Daley faces the ever progressing Jason Jackson in the co-main event. Jackson lost his debut against Ed Ruth in somewhat controversial fashion. Since then he has risen through the ranks, taking out fighters like Jordan Mein, Benson Henderson and Neiman Gracie in his last fight. One could argue that Jackson should have been put in as the challenger to Lima’s belt, that did not materialize but an impressive win over Daley will make the Jamaican star undeniable for the next shot. A lot at stake in this co-main event contest.

A lot was said about how far Aaron Pico would go when the uber prospect made his MMA debut in 2017. Unfortunately for the American he tasted defeat in his very first contest, won a few fights then suffered two devastating knockouts in a row. With that came the critic’s and the naysayers but Pico dusted himself off, made the switch to Jackson/Wink and has looked a much more complete fighter since that move. Credit to him for making that switch. It seems that he and his team were taking too big of a jump so early into his career and they both got taught a harsh lesson.

Since his move to Albuquerque Pico has picked up three wins on the bounce. He looks to have developed solid gameplans each fight and is not making the mistakes of old. He faces off against Aiden Lee from the UK who is on a two-fight win streak. This is a well matched fight and one that you would expect Pico to be victorious. I’m excited to see Pico’s rise through the sport and I’m glad his team cooled the jets and are not throwing him to the wolves per say. Fighter’s like Pico need time to adjust, yes he has a serious Boxing and Wrestling pedigree, but this is MMA and a fighter needs time to gel all these skills into one.

Also on the main card is a catchweight bout between Vanessa Porto and Ilara Joanne. Both fighters lost in their last fights and they will both be eager to get back into the win column. Demarques Jackson and Mark Lemminger will go to battle in the welterweight division. Jackson was defeated on his Bellator debut in his last outing while Lemminger has not won in his last two bouts. That fight will kick off the main card.

Kyle Crutchmer and Levan Chokheli will battle it out in the prelims headliner. That fight will tke place in the 170-pound division. Tywan Claxton is set to take on undefeated prospect Justin Gonzales in the featherweight division. Nick Newell returns to action in the lightweight division, he takes on Bobby king who will make his Bellator debut.

Also on the prelims section of the card is a 150-pound catchweight scrap between undefeated prospect Lucas Brennan and Matthew Skibicki. Amanda Bell will take on Marina Mokhnatkina in the women’s featherweight division. Alex Polizzi and Gustavo Trujillo will kick off the card when they go toe-to-toe in the opening bout of the evening.

So there you have it, pretty solid night of fights overall with plenty of potential talking points in the aftermath of this card. The top three fights are not to be missed. I’m excited to see how Lima looks and I’m curious to see what gameplan Amosov will bring to the table in order to become the newly crowned champion. Paul Daley always brings the fire, as does his opponent Jason Jackson. Aaron Pico is always fun to watch and like I said above I’m very excited to see his career progress inside the cage. I hope you all enjoy the fights.

Main Card : Showtime / YouTube 9 p.m. ET
 

Welterweight World Title: Douglas Lima (32-8) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (25-0)
175-pound Catchweight: Paul Daley (43-17-2) vs. Jason Jackson (14-4)
Featherweight: Aaron Pico (7-3) vs. Aiden Lee (9-4)
128-pound Catchweight: Vanessa Porto (22-9) vs. Ilara Joanne (9-5)
Welterweight: Demarques Jackson (11-5) vs. Mark Lemminger (11-3)
 

Preliminary Card: BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel / SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel, 6 p.m. ET
 

Welterweight: Kyle Crutchmer (6-1) vs. Levan Chokheli (9-0, 1 NC)
Featherweight: Tywan Claxton (6-2) vs. Justin Gonzales (11-0)
Lightweight: Nick Newell (16-3) vs. Bobby King (9-3)
150-pound Catchweight: Lucas Brennan (4-0) vs. Matthew Skibicki (4-3)
Featherweight: Amanda Bell (7-7) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina (4-2)
Light Heavyweight: Alex Polizzi (7-1) vs. Gustavo Trujillo (3-1)