5 reasons to watch Bellator 194, with high-stakes rematches, boxer vs. boxer, and 'Air Claxton'

Two high stakes rematches top Friday’s Bellator 194 fight card.

In the main event, Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione meet in a heavyweight contest. In their first fight, which took place in 2012 under the UFC banner, Nelson handed Mitrione the first TKO loss of his career. Since that bout, Nelson has a record of 5-7 while Mitrione is 7-3.

In the co-headliner, Patricky Freire and Derek Campos face off in a rematch four years in the making. The two first met in a semifinal-round bout of the Season 10 lightweight tournament. Freire won that fight via first-round TKO.

Bellator 194 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Here are five reasons to watch the event.

1. Those odds sound right to Mitrione

Mitrione enters the first-round of the Bellator MMA world grand prix as the favorite to walk away from the eight-man tournament with the heavyweight title strapped around his waist.

Mitrione, who is No. 12 in the most recent USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, feels those odds are spot on.

“I should be the favorite,” Mitrione told MMAjunkie. “I think I’m one of the best heavyweights in the world in any promotion, and I think I’m really coming into my own stride now, so that’s kind of how I feel. It didn’t surprise me at all. I think everyone else is pretty damn solid; I just think I’m a little bit better.”

Mitrione (12-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has a 3-0 record as a Bellator heavyweight. All three of those victories have come by via knockout. That stretch includes his first-round stoppage of Fedor Emelianenko in June.

Nelson (23-14 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has fought only once under the Bellator banner. He won that bout when he defeated Javy Ayala by unanimous decision.

The winner of this bout is scheduled to face the victor of the upcoming grand-prix matchup between light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and Muhammed Lawal.

2. A rematch long in the making

Freire has one Bellator title fight on his record; Michael Chandler knocked him out in the first round of that bout to claim the vacant lightweight title. Since that 2016 defeat, Freire has bested two former lightweight champions. In February of last year, he knocked out ex-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. He followed that stoppage with a September split-decision victory over former UFC kingpin Benson Henderson.

Campos hasn’t faced former titleholders during his current four-fight winning streak, but with two knockouts and two decisions, he’s one win away from matching the longest winning streak of his MMA career.

These two were booked for a rematch at Bellator 181, but Freire was pulled from that fight and moved to the Henderson bout at Bellator 183. The promotion did not explain why Freire (18-8 MMA, 11-7 BMMA) was picked to face Henderson instead of Campos (19-6 MMA, 8-4 BMMA). Don’t be surprised if that slight continues to gnaw at Campos.

Brandon Girtz replaced Freire at Bellator 181. Campos won that fight by doctor stoppage when he opened a nasty gash on Girtz’s forehead with a knee.

While Freire isn’t all that jazzed about the rematch, he knows what’s at stake in this matchup.

“This isn’t the opponent I wanted,” Freire told MMAjunkie. “I always like to face different fighters. But Derek Campos is coming off four wins. No matter what, whether I win or he does, one of us should challenge for the belt next. If that doesn’t happen, it would bother me.”

3. The conversation has changed

Liam McGeary opened his MMA career on an 11-0 run. During that stretch, he won and defended the Bellator light heavyweight title. McGeary also gained a reputation as a fighter with porous takedown defense who was dangerous off of his back. In his title-losing bout against Phil Davis, McGeary struggled mightily with the heavy top game of the former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion.

In his bounce-back fight, McGeary earned a doctor’s stoppage TKO win in a slugfest with Brett McDermott.

McGeary then tangled with Linton Vassell, who won that fight by submission when his top game was too much to handle.

It’s not like McGeary got exposed in those losses, but his reputation as a master of the “Hail Mary” submission took a significant hit.

Don’t be shocked if Vadim Nemkov decides not to test McGeary (12-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) on the mat. Nemkov (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has won seven fights by first-round knockout, including his Bellator debut against Phillipe Lins. Nemkov, a world champion in sambo and a training partner of Fedor Emelianenko, is a young fighter on the rise. If he can get a win over a McGeary, who is ranked No 15 at light heavyweight, he’ll find himself in the mix in Bellator’s 205-pound division.

4. Two boxers step into the cage

Heather Hardy tasted defeat for the first time in her combat sports career in October when the doctor stopped her fight against Kristina Williams at the two-minute mark of the second round. It was Hardy’s first loss in 23 combined boxing and MMA fights.

Ana Julaton ended a two-year break in October when she made her Bellator debut at Bellator 185. The former WBO women’s super bantamweight champion employed a kickboxing approach in her fight against Lisa Blaine. While Julaton showed that she’s more than just a puncher in that fight, she ended up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

Hardy, who is the current WBC international women’s featherweight champion, is still finding her way in MMA. She has relied almost entirely on her boxing skills in her MMA fights. While that has made for two exciting scraps, she could struggle against an opponent who has even one more weapon in her arsenal.

The expectation is that this flyweight bout will be a boxing match. But don’t forget: These two are in talks to meet in the ring sometime later in 2018. With that, don’t be surprised if Julaton (2-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), who has five MMA fights to her name, uses her kickboxing and ground skills in an attempt to let Hardy (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) know that she’s the more well-rounded fighter.

5. A deserved nickname

Tywan Claxton made his pro debut on the preliminary card of Bellator 186. Entering that event, Claxton, who had a 7-0 record as an amateur, went by the nickname of “Speedy.” When the fight ended at the 89-second mark of the first round, Claxton had his first knockout as a pro and a new nickname: “Air Claxton.”

He earned that nickname when he caught some serious air and knocked out Jonathan Bonilla-Bowman cold with a flying knee. The stoppage had Claxton in the running for MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Year.”

So, @tclax149 just won his pro debut in the most incredible way possible ?? #Bellator186 • • • ?? @bellatormma

A post shared by MMAjunkie (@mmajunkiedotcom) on Nov 3, 2017 at 5:15pm PDT

After his impressive debut, the featherweight tried to pick a fight with Aaron Pico. He also served notice to the rest of the division that he had plans to rise up the ranks.

“It’s over,” Claxton told MMAjunkie Radio in November. “It’s over. Grab a shovel. Dig your own grave. I’m coming for you.”

Claxton (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) now gets his first shot at a Bellator main card spot. His opponent is Jose Antonio Perez (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), who lost his pro debut when he dropped a decision to Kevin Carrier at Bellator 185.

For more on Bellator 194, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.