5 reasons to watch Bellator 179, where 'Semtex' welcomes the 'Red King'

Moments after knocking out Brennan Ward with a flying knee at Bellator 170, Paul Daley was asked who he wanted to face next. Daley did not hesitate to call for a fight with recent Bellator free agent signing and former UFC title contender Rory MacDonald.

“Rory MacDonald’s come over from the UFC; he thinks he can do his (expletive) over here – it ain’t going to happen,” Daley said. “Rory MacDonald gets in the cage with me, he’s getting knocked the (expletive) out.”

On Friday, Daley faces MacDonald, who is looking for his fist victory in more than two years, in the main event of Bellator 179.

In the co-main event, former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary and Linton Vassell meet in what is a very meaningful fight in the 205-pound division.

Bellator 179 takes place at The SSE Arena in London and airs via same-day tape delay on Spike.

Here are five reasons to watch the event.

1. About those doubts

MacDonald has his doubters heading into this fight. Those haters, to use the parlance of our times, point to the fact that MacDonald lost his two previous fights, one a brutal TKO loss to then UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and the other, a much more subdued decision defeat to Stephen Thompson.

What those folks are ignoring is that MacDonald, who is currently No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, defeated the likes of former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine, current UFC champion Tyron Woodley and presumptive top contender Demian Maia in the three fights before those losses.

There’s no denying that there are questions about MacDonald’s willingness to employ an ultra-aggressive style in the cage since that loss to Lawler, a defeat that left some wondering if more than MacDonald’s nose had been broken in that battle. The beauty of this matchup is that we should get an answer to that question because Daley (39-14-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), a man with 29 career knockouts, is more than likely to try to engage MacDonald (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a slugfest.

The winner of this fight will meet the winner of the Bellator 180 fight between welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin.

2. The takedown, a risky proposition

Unlike the main event, the co-main event competitors have not been told the winner will receive an immediate title shot. Despite that, the odds are good that the man who gets his hand raised in the fight between former light heavyweight champion McGeary (12-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and former title contender Vassell (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will only be one or two fights away from a shot at Bellator gold.

McGeary, currently ranked No. 8 in the division, lost the title to Phil Davis in November, but he got back in the win column with a TKO victory over Brett McDermott in February. Meanwhile, Vassell is on a two-fight winning streak, taking decisions from former champion Emanuel Newton and, most recently, Francis Carmont.

McGeary’s weakness has always been his takedown defense. However, getting McGeary to the mat is not always a sure path to victory. Yes, Davis did have success with that game plan, but few fighters can control their opponents from the top like Davis. McGeary has a dangerous submission game, and if the fight does go to the mat, Vassell needs to be cognizant of that fact.

3. Better odds than a scratch-off

The Bellator heavyweight belt has been collecting dust since the promotion stripped that title from Vitaly Minakov more than a year ago. In September, Bellator President Scott Coker told MMAjunkie Radio a new champion would be crowned by the end of the first quarter of 2017. Well, here we are, midway through the second quarter of 2017, and the belt remains vacant.

What this means is that almost every heavyweight fight is an audition of sorts. Win, and you could be under consideration for a title fight.

At Bellator 179, Cheick Kongo and Augusto Sakai attempt to get their names in the mix for that belt. Kongo (26-10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is unbeaten in his last four fights dating back to June 2015, while Sakai (9-0-1 MMA, 4-0-1 BMMA) remains unbeaten since his debut in 2011.

4. Watching for progress

Things did not go well for Kevin Ferguson Jr. in his first professional MMA fight. Ferguson, still very much a neophyte when it comes to the fight game, was submitted in the second round of that contest by Aaron Hamilton, who entered the bout with a record of 0-2.

After getting a few more months of training under his belt with former UFC fighter Antonio McKee and his son, A.J. McKee, Ferguson (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) gives it another go in London, where he meets D.J. Griffin (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who makes his pro debut at Bellator 179.

For an 0-1 fighter, Ferguson has received a lot of attention from Bellator, as well as the MMA media, but the 25-year-old doesn’t seem phased by that spotlight. Instead, “Baby Slice” is concentrating on getting better incrementally, with the hopes of reaching the top of the welterweight division in a year or so.

“It’s chess, not checkers, so I have to learn all the little details,” Ferguson told MMAjunkie ahead of this catchweight bout.

5. Title collectors

The lightweight prelim matchup between Alfie Davis and Jay Dods is the under the radar fight for Bellator 179.

Davis enters the fight coming off victories in two title fights. In November he captured the Ultimate Challenge MMA lightweight belt with a first-round TKO. Davis (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) then won the Lion Fighting Championship welterweight title in March via a first-round submission. As for Dods (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), he, too, is coming off of a title-winning performance, taking home the Warrior Fight Series lightweight crown with a first round TKO in late March.

Of the two young fighters, Davis looks to have the higher upside. He’s super confident and very quick with his strikes, employing an aggressive and diverse kicking arsenal.

As some added intrigue, these two have faced off before, meeting as amateurs in 2013. Davis got the best of the contest, winning a majority decision.

For more on Bellator 179, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.