Bellator Dublin and Bellator 240 preview

The European Series kicks off this weekend as the promotion returns to Dublin, Ireland for two cards filled with domestic talent.

After a successful inaugural year for the European Series, Bellator are returning to the continent this weekend for another dual-card in Dublin, Ireland to kick off their 2020 offering in the market. The 3Arena plays host to both Bellator Dublin and Bellator 240 where some recognisable, international names are making the long journey to fend off the challenge of some local favourites. Injuries to James Gallagher and Peter Queally hit the card heavily in the lead up to the event but a packed crowd is still expected to be in attendance to provide the renowned Irish fight atmosphere. There are a mammoth 20 bouts on the card overall so it will be a long night but there are a handful of intriguing contests which have important stakes.

The Bellator Dublin portion of the show is headlined by a women’s featherweight clash between Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt and Judith Ruis after Gallagher was pulled from the card. McCourt (3-1) is an IMMAF world champion and is a fighter who the promotion have ear-marked as a potential star in the country. In her two appearances for Bellator, she has registered first round victories against Hatice Ozyurt and Kerry Hughes.

Looking to upset the crowd is Ruis (6-4) who is making her debut for the company off the back of two submission wins. The German prefers to grapple and is determined to put on a good showing despite all of the shine being on her opponent. It’s set up to be a showcase for the local rising star but Ruis will be hoping to pull a submission out of the bag to plant her flag in the 145lbs division.

Elsewhere on this portion of the card, SBG Ireland product and heavy-hitting crowd pleaser, Charlie Ward, takes on Kyle Kurtz in the middleweight division. Ward (7-4) tasted his first defeat in Bellator last time out when he dropped a unanimous decision to Pietro Penini but stopped all four of his opponents in the organisation by knockout prior to that loss. Kurtz (10-7) has had an up and down career to this point and has been knocked out in 5 of his 7 losses which doesn’t bode well for the American.

Opening up the European Series segment of the show is former reality TV star, Aaron Chalmers, who looks to regain his momentum against Austin Clem. Chalmers (5-1) appeals to more than just the casual sports fan in the UK and brings a different demographic to the product. He bounced back from the first loss of his career last June when he submitted Fred Freeman in the second round and intends on continuing his 100% finishing rate. Clem (3-1) has finished all of his victories by submission so may pose some threat to Chalmers on the ground. However, chances are that Clem is a hand-picked opponent in order to give the Geordie another dominant win.

Bellator 240 is headlined by an interesting matchup between former lightweight champion, Brent Primus, and tough Scotsman, Chris Bungard. Primus (9-1) has only competed once a year since 2014 so hasn’t been active recently. After two fights against Michael Chandler where the pair went 1-1, Primus responded to losing his title by submitting Tim Wilde by gogoplata in Birmingham last year. He will hope that a victory over Bungard can be the turning point to performing more regularly which will in turn strengthen his claim for another title shot.

Bungard (15-5) pulled off a huge upset in his Bellator debut when he tapped former BAMMA two-weight champion, Terry Brazier, by first round rear-naked choke. He followed this up by dropping a disappointing decision to Charlie Leary before getting a statement first round submission over Benjamin Brander. The 31-year-old prefers to grapple so Primus will likely have to show solid takedown defense to not give Bungard the openings he’ll want to capitalise on.

One of the fights with an intriguing storyline heading into Saturday night is the bantamweight contest between Ricky Bandejas and Frans Mlambo. Bandejas (12-3) was the first man to defeat James Gallagher back in 2018 and now visits the Emerald Isle in the hope of besting another SBG Ireland member. Mlambo (8-4) won’t want the American to get another victory over the gym so will fly the country’s flag with a home crowd roaring him on. Both are well-rounded fighters in a bout that could see the winner progress towards the title picture.

Oliver Enkamp against Lew Long is another bout of interest to European fans and both men are looking to climb the welterweight ladder. Enkamp (8-2) signed with Bellator last year after his release from the UFC and debuted with an impressive submission victory over Walter Gahadza. Long (17-5) is a former Cage Warriors standout who also made his promotional debut in a win against Gahadza. The pair have 15 submission victories between them so this contest could well be a grappler’s delight if it hits the mat.

A standout fight on the preliminary card sees Irish favourite, Paul Redmond, take on veteran, Georgi Karakhanyan, which had its placement on the show questioned by fans and media alike. Redmond (15-8) will be in search of his biggest victory in Bellator while Karakhanyan (28-10-1, 1NC) needs to get his hand raised in order to stay relevant. Other notable names competing in Dublin include Bec Rawlings, Kiefer Crosbie and Richard Kiely.

Bellator Dublin will be shown live on Channel 5 at 10pm GMT in the UK on Saturday night and fans in Ireland can tune in on Virgin Media Sport. Viewers in the US can watch on the Bellator Mobile App at 5pmET/4c.

Bellator 240: Primus vs. Bungard is being shown via tape-delay on Sky Sports Arena at 3am GMT early on Sunday morning for fans in the UK and Ireland. It will be broadcast on Paramount Network and DAZN, also on tape-delay, in the US from 10pmET/9c.

The Bellator Dublin preliminary card can be viewed live and free around the world on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel at 4:30pm GMT on Saturday evening. Fans in the US and Canada can tune in from 11:30amET/10:30c.

Bloody Elbow will be in attendance at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland so stay tuned for fight coverage all weekend long.

The compete card can be seen below:-

Bellator Dublin

Women’s Featherweight Bout: Leah McCourt vs. Judith Ruis

Middleweight Bout: Charlie Ward vs. Kyle Kurtz

Welterweight Bout: Aaron Chalmers vs. Austin Clem

Bellator 240

Lightweight Bout: Brent Primus vs. Chris Bungard

160-lb. Contract Weight Bout : Kiefer Crosbie vs. Iamik Furtado

Women’s Flyweight Bout: Bec Rawlings vs. Elina Kallionidou

Bantamweight Bout: Ricky Bandejas vs. Frans Mlambo

Welterweight Bout: Oliver Enkamp vs. Lewis Long

Preliminary Card

Featherweight Bout: Ilias Bulaid vs. Diego Freitas

180-lb. Contract Weight Bout: Richard Kiely vs. George Hardwick

Lightweight Bout: Paul Redmond vs. Georgi Karakhanyan

Lightweight Bout: Philip Mulpeter vs. Daniel Crawford

Featherweight Bout: Asael Adjoudj vs. Constantin Blanita

Featherweight Bout: Richie Smullen vs. Alberth Dias

Middleweight Bout: Will Fleury vs. Justin Moore

161-lb. Contract Weight Bout: Mateusz Piskorz vs. Chris Duncan

Featherweight Bout: Dylan Logan vs. Calum Murrie

Flyweight Bout: Blaine O’Driscoll vs. Ezzoubair Bouarsa

Featherweight Bout: Ciaran Clarke vs. Jamie Faulding

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Danni Neilan vs. Chiara Penco