Up next on the calendar for Bellator is the Bellator 122 event scheduled for Temeluca, California on July 25th. The event is currently headlined by a Welterweight tilt between Andrey Koreshov and Adam McDonough and features a card that seems to already be steering away from the old Bellator formats.
The main event will likely see Koreshkov emerge as a heavy favorite over the undefeated McDonough. McDonough has run his record to 3-0 in Bellator, and he was perfect coming in, but his level of competition does not include anyone the likes of Koreshkov.
Koreshkov is 7-1 in Bellator and 16-1 overall, with his lone loss coming to the freakish Ben Askren, who is no longer with the company. Since his loss to Askren, Koreshkov has been even more impressive, going 3-0 and working his way into the overallwelterweight rankings.
Koreshkov is likely to be motivated, as he sat and watched the title that Askren vacated be captured by Brazilian Douglas Lima, who took out stand out Judoka Rick Hawn to capture the belt. The winner of this match gets a date with Lima, and that is the driving force behind Koreshkov’s rise and motivation.
In a similar situation is Middleweight veteran Brett Cooper, who faces undefeated 6-0 Brandon Halsey. Look for this line to be a bit closer, as Cooper is not the daunting figure Koreshkov is, and Halsey is better regarded than McDonough. Cooper is still just 26 years old and he has nearly 30 fights. he went the distance with Alexander Shlemenko, which is a statement in and of itself. His experience and overall gameness will make Rogers the favorite in the fight.
Another match that touches on the theme of experience versus a new comer is Bubba Jenkins, who brings his 6-1 record to face Poppies Martinez, a veteran of over 30 fights. Jenkins is a freakish athlete who won a division 1 national wrestling championship in college, but he is still raw in terms of MMA. He could be in trouble in an extended fight, and he is lone loss came when he was caught by a submission. Look for Jenkins to be favored in the fight, but Martinez can be considered a live underdog. This one may be well worth watching.
