January 31, 2023 Chicago, Illinois
The Bellator 290 is here and the 2023 schedule begins. Bellator 290 airs Saturday on CBS and Paramount and is one of his most anticipated events of the year. Heavyweight GOAT his Fedor Emelianeko takes the final step into the cage in a rematch for the belts against Ryan Bader. Bader is likely to become the first and only fighter to beat Emelian Neko twice. Co-main his event saw Johnny Ebren and Anatoly Tkov face off for the Middleweight Championship. The event is packed with talent, and the Inglewood, Calif. man will be attending some crazy events from the Kia Forums, so watch early.
As you may know, I try to avoid major fights in these articles, but not every card has Brennan Ward and Saba Homasi fighting. A product of America’s top teams, Homasi has a two-game winning streak that saw him in the cage in less than three minutes in two combined games. Ward is the bigger threat as he has made 18 appearances for the cage for promotion and has won two in a row. Before this streak started, we hadn’t seen Ward since 2017, but the resurgence made this a very interesting match, with Ward not facing the type of competition Homasi offers in two fights. Hmm, you can see fireworks and groundwork taking over here in his two finishes on his own. Do not blink. This fight has great transitions and quick hands. I think we need exactly this type of fight to lead us to a championship fight.
Prediction: Sabahomashi Inside Distance
If this is based on record, Pantera will be an easy choice to win this battle. But don’t underestimate Alejandra Lara when talking about the Bellator 290. Lara’s ground game could cause problems for Avsaragova, but if you’re a Russian fighter and have some sort of connection to the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, it’s hard to bet on it. , she’s judging how I see this fight ending, but like Nurmagomedov, she’s been dominant in her career so far when it comes to dominating the fight.Lara must avoid being caught by Pantera’s swift attacks. Her blows are raw, but her freestyle shows she has the power to add to her wrestling background. This is the next step and I see another Russian MMA fighter rising to the top.
Prediction: Diana Avsaragova wins by decision
Ali Isaev makes his Bellator debut at age 39, going 9-0 and going undefeated against 30-year-old Steve Mowry. Back in his amateur days, Mowry has his 17th straight win, and being nine years younger, we often see young guys winning in this sort of match. Ranked 5th, Mowry could benefit greatly from his Fedor Emelianeko victory in the main event. A win here could hopefully see Mowry put his name on the short list of possible heavyweight title contenders for the belt. I think we’re going to need at least one more fight at the age of and in a heavyweight division that doesn’t move that fast. It could leave a really nice aftertaste for Scott Coker and his team to consider when contemplating a new title fight.
Prediction: Steve Mowry wins a fight on the ground (submission or ground and pound)
