5 reasons to watch Bellator 148, including return of hard-hitting Paul Daley

Paul Daley

It’s been a while since the last Bellator event, but the promotion is back on Friday with Bellator 148, and a notable striker sits atop the fight card.

When officials first announced the card, Bellator executives seemed to be building toward a rematch between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley. Koscheck was scheduled to face Matt Secor in the main event while Daley was booked opposite Andy Uhrich in the co-main.

And that was not a bad idea. The promotion could use the event to build fan interest in that potential future fight, a rematch of a 2010 UFC bout that ended with Daley dropping a unanimous decision and being told he would never again fight in the UFC due to a post-match sucker-punch.

Well, as with most MMA plans, that one went awry when Koscheck withdrew from the card due to an injury. Koscheck’s injury elevated the Daley vs. Uhrich bout to main-event status – and has left Daley wondering if he will ever get a chance to fight Koscheck again.

The Bellator 148 co-main event features a rematch between Chris Honeycutt, a fighter Bellator President Scott Coker described as “a kid we think is going to be a big star,” against veteran Paul Bradley.

Bellator 148 takes place Friday at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie. Here are five reasons to catch the event.

1. Welcome back

Andy Uhrich

The last time Uhrich (11-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) fought for Bellator was May 2014. At that event, Bellator 120, Ben Brewer knocked him out in the second round. It was Brewer’s first and last fight with the promotion.

Following that loss, Uhrich went 3-0 on the regional circuit, winning each fight by decision. Those victories earned him another shot in Bellator, and what does he get for a return bout? He gets matched up against knockout machine Daley (37-13-2, 3-0 BMMA), an unenviable task for anyone in the welterweight division.

Daley is on a four-fight winning streak and has gone 10-2 in his past 12 fights, with seven of those 12 ending by knockout, including his last win, a Bellator 140 TKO of Dennis Olson.

2. Check your head(s)

Chris Honeycutt and Paul Bradley

The first time former NCAA Division I All-American wrestlers Honeycutt (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and Bradley (22-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) met, at July’s Bellator 140 event, the fight was shaping up to be a pretty decent striking battle. However, it ended prematurely with an accidental clash of heads. Bradley got the worst of things, and after checking out the cut that had opened on his forehead, the doctor called the fight, which was ruled a no-contest.

The two welterweights meet again at Bellator 148, and it’s safe to expect another striking battle.

One thing to watch in the rematch is the cardio of Honeycutt. He got the better of his opponent in the first round, but Honeycutt was fading in the second, and Bradley was slowly taking over control of the fight when it was waved off.

3. About that heavyweight title belt

Tony Johnson

Tony Johnson (9-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) showed some promise in his most recent fight by defeating former champion Alexander Volkov via split decision. Johnson used a strong clinch game and smothering wrestling to earn that win at Bellator 136.

Johnson’s hope is that a win over Raphael Butler (9-1-1 MMA, 4-1-1 BMMA) will earn him a shot at the heavyweight crown – that is if the promotion can tell him exactly what is going on with that title.

4. Making progress

Ryan Couture

Since his UFC release in 2013, Ryan Couture (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has put together a four-fight winning streak. Each of those fights has ended with Couture securing a rear-naked-choke submission. Only one of the four bouts went past the first round.

At Bellator 148, Couture faces late replacement Patricky Freire(14-7 MMA, 7-6 BMMA), who fills in for injured Derek Anderson.

Couture, son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, feels this fight is his opportunity to show that he’s ready to face top contenders in the lightweight division.  A win over Freire, who twice reached a Bellator lightweight tournament final, will be a big step in proving that readiness.

5. Moving past that viral video

The video will probably follow Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (2-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) around for the rest of her career, and you get the feeling she thinks that’s not the worst thing that could happen. After all, if that video inspires fans to tune in to her Bellator fights, where’s the

You know the video It was the one titled “Soccer Mom vs. MMA Fighter,” with Macfarlane being the MMA fighter (via Youtube):

Long story short, Macfarlane earned a 10-second knockout in that fight. A deal with Bellator followed that victory, a deal she points out was in the works before the video went viral. In her first fight on her Bellator contract, McFarlane earned a split-decision win over Maria Rios.

Macfarlane makes her second Bellator appearance at Bellator 148, facing Amber Tackett (1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a flyweight bout.

For more on Bellator 148, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.