Liam McGeary, Linton Vassell set friendship aside for Bellator 179 title-eliminator

Liam McGeary and Linton Vassell consider each other friends in the truest sense of the word. However, that’s not going to prevent them from tearing apart each other in pursuit of the next Bellator light-heavyweight title shot.

McGeary (12-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and Vassell (17-5 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) co-headline Friday’s Bellator 179 event, which airs via tape-delay on Spike from The SSE Arena in London. Th vets knew a fight would eventually come together; they just didn’t know when or under what circumstances.

Both agree the timing made sense. A matchup of British fighters in London is logical, especially since both believe the winner will get the next title shot. It’s never easy to fight a friend, but McGeary and Vassell were prepared for the inevitable moment.

“Me and Linton are both in the same division, and it’s only a matter of time to cross paths,” McGeary told MMAjunkie. “What better place to fight than London? This is the only place where this fight could take place. He’s a friend. There’s a lot to like about him. I have photos where we’ve had nights out and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, this is work. Business is business.”

Vassell has a similar mindset.

“We’re both at the point of our career now where it makes sense to fight,” Vassell said. “This is the situation because it’s a title-eliminator. The next one of us is going to fight the champion. It’s two top guys, so it makes sense to put us together. I really consider him a friend. We talk. We message each other and stuff. We’ve seen each other at the events and everything, so he’s really a friend.”

Although the Bellator light-heavyweight division is rapidly growing, the McGeary-Vassell winner getting No. 1 contender’s status is hardly surprising. Champion Phil Davis is scheduled to fight promotional newcomer Ryan Bader at June’s Bellator 180 event in New York City, but after that, there’s no clear contender in line.

Bellator 179 should fill the void. McGeary, a former champ, lost the title to Davis at Bellator 163 in November, but he bounced back in February with a second-round TKO win over Brett McDermott at Bellator 173.

Revenge is on McGeary’s mind, and he hopes Davis defends the belt so he can dethrone “Mr. Wonderful” in a rematch.

“(Davis has) been in Bellator for a little while now, and Bader is just a newcomer, so he needs to protect that belt just so I can beat it up and take it off him,” McGeary said. “(This fight is) for a title shot, so that’s awesome. I’m there to take care of business.”

Vassell, meanwhile, is looking to get his first Bellator title shot with a win over McGeary. He’s had mixed results during his eight-fight Bellator tenure, but he’s won his past two bouts, against Francis Carmon and Emanuel Newton, and would have momentum on his side with another victory.

“The Swarm” said he’s ready for his breakthrough moment, and though it will come at the expense of a friend, he expects a victory that will set up his first crack at the gold.

“That’s what’s going to happen as far as I know; this is a No. 1 contender fight,” Vassell said. “The winner will get the next title fight.”

For complete coverage of Bellator 179, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.