Bellator puts on its first card of 2022 this weekend when heavyweight champion Ryan Bader takes on interim champion Valentin Moldavsky.
At the time of writing, there are 11 fights slated to take place on the Bellator 273 card at Footprint Center, Phoenix as the company hopes to start the New Year with a bang on Saturday.
Ranked lightweight contenders Benson Henderson and Islam Mamedov square off in the co-main, while Henry Corrales and Aiden Lee meet at featherweight.
A welterweight bout between Sabah Homasi and Jaleel Willis is set to kick off the main card in Arizona.
Challenger Can Control Proceedings
Bader won the light heavyweight title on debut for Bellator in 2017, beating Phil Davis via split decision in New York.
The American successfully defended the strap next time out courtesy of a TKO victory over Linton Davis before stepping up to heavyweight.
He came through his next three fights successfully to become a two-weight champion, sealing the heavyweight strap with a TKO win against Fedor Emelianenko in January 2019.
But that’s the last time he fought at heavyweight and his record subsequently took a hit after returning to light heavyweight, winning one, losing two and being involved in a no contest.
Moldavsky, meanwhile, is 6-0 in Bellator and has blazed through the heavyweight division to become interim champion.
Champion Bader is a 43/20 underdog to get back on track with Moldavsky priced at 10/31 to become the undisputed champion.
Both fighters don’t necessarily fit the traditional mould of heavyweight contenders and they tend to rely on their athleticism and cardio.
Interim title holder Moldavsky is 11-1 as a professional but only one of those wins has come via KO/TKO with seven landing by way of decision.
Moldavsky isn’t likely to change his approach and another win by decision, which is 43/20, could be on the cards this weekend.
Smooth on the Slide
The co-main event is an interesting match-up between two fighters moving in opposite directions in the lightweight division.
#6 Henderson – a former UFC lightweight champion – is riding a three fight losing streak and faces a tough assignment in trying to address that slide against #7 Mamedov.
Mamedov claimed a split decision win over Brent Primus, who defeated Henderson in October, on Bellator debut to take his overall record to 20-1-1.
The 32-year-old hasn’t lost since 2009 and it’s no surprise to see him rated as the 4/17 favourite against 57/20 Henderson.
A Mamedov win by submission, priced at 5/1, jumps off the page when considering the majority of his victories have come via that route.
Clash of Styles at Featherweight
The featherweight contest between Corrales and Lee is tough to predict and the outcome will largely depend on who can impose their style.
Lee, who is priced at 20/27, is 3-2 since joining Bellator and he is always looking to take things down to the ground, while Corrales, available at 1/1, would rather stand and trade.
The feeling here is for Corrales due to his impressive takedown defence but it’s one of the tougher fights to call on the card.
*All odds correct at time of writing.