Bellator vs KSW Supercard!! Could It Ever Happen And What Would It Look Like?
A Bellator vs KSW supercard? Surely it could never happen, right?
Sure the odds on it ever materializing aren’t all that likely, but if you take a short trip down memory lane, you’d quickly realize it’s far from impossible.
Speaking during a pre-fight media scrum ahead of Bellator 170 Paul Daley vs Rory MacDonald last year, Bellator President Scott Coker was asked about the possibility of hosting a show in Poland and he revealed he’d never try and do it without KSW.
This was his response:
“It’s not that we wouldn’t go there, but if we did go there, we’d call up KSW and do a co-promotion of some kind,! Coker said. “I’m not opposed to that. Martin [Lewandowski] and I are good friends and I think he’s done a good job over there.
“For us to go to Poland and not work with the local promoter, I don’t think that would be right.”
Earlier this evening, talk of a potential clash between new KSW welterweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Douglas Lima got us thinking about what a potential KSW vs Bellator fight card could like. Suffice to say, with the talent filled roster of both organizations it could potentially be one of the biggest fight cards of all time.
Enjoy your recent victory kid, stop talking nonsense. But you know where to find me if you need a reality check.
— Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) April 16, 2018
EDIT: After posting this article last evening, KSW co-founder Martin Lewandowski confirmed that he’d had discussion with Coker about a potential co-promoted show last year, but didn’t on as to whether those talks had led to anything further.
Yes. We have spoken with @ScottCoker about it last year in LA
— martin lewandowski (@martinksw) April 17, 2018
Here’s what we came up with…
Main Event – Heavyweight
(Photo: Bellator MMA)
Fedor Emelianenko vs Mariusz Pudzianowski
You’d have to have a heavyweight event for such a card and who better to headline it than Fedor vs Pudzian. You could argue they are two of the biggest stars in both organizations and the potential drawing power of the two combined would be unfathomable across both Russia and Poland. It probably wouldn’t be the best fight of all time given both are 41-years-old, but the spectacle of the two sharing a cage together would be unforgettable.
Co-main Event – Middleweight
(Photo: ACB – Jamie Lee Smith / DN4 Photography)
Mamed Khalidov vs Gegard Mousasi
Khalidov and Mousasi have 94 professional fights between them and have been two of the biggest names in European MMA to ever have fought at 185-pounds, but still they’ve yet to cross paths. It’s hard to think how the two haven’t clashed before, but with Khalidov rarely fighting outside of Poland it becomes a little easier to understand. Like the main event, it’s unlikely we would be seeing a clash between two men at the peak of their careers, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be entertaining still. The legend of Polish MMA versus one of the most highly regarded fighters in in European MMA; it would be a phenomenal fight.
Light Heavyweight
(Photo: KSW)
Tomasz Narkun vs Ryan Bader
Champion vs Champion! Narkun is fresh off handing Khalidov his first loss in eight years and is the current KSW light heavyweight champion. The Pole has been sweeping aside all those who dare to step in front of him in the last few years, but Bader would provide competition like he’d never face before and it would be an intriguing fight to say the least. Bader would look to take Narkun down to the ground, but off his back Narkun is very dangerous…. just go ask Khalidov. Styles make fights and these two would likely bring the best out of one another.
Welterweight
(Photo: Bellator)
Dricus Du Plessis vs Rory MacDonald
What a fight this would be. Du Plessis is not only just the KSW welterweight champion, but he’s also currently holding both the welterweight and middleweight titles in the African based promotion EFC. MacDonald, who weighed in already on the Du Plessis and Lima Twitter beef earlier this evening said that he would be up for it if such an incredible situation materialised. The KSW and EFC welterweight champion taking on the Bellator champion would be a sight to behold that’s for sure.
Lightweight
(Photo: Bellator)
Mateusz Gamrot vs Brent Primus
Is Gamrot (14-0) really the real deal? Can he hang with the best on the world stage? Well there’s only one way to find out. If Gamrot can beat Primus then that’s a big step in the right direction to show that he belongs with the world elite. Until he does that it’s just simply just a case of ‘what if.’
Women’s flyweight
(Photo: KSW)
Ariane Lipski vs Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
This would be a lot of fun between two of the best female fighters in the world who are plying their trade outside of the UFC. It’s not yet known whether Lipski will continue to fight in KSW or move onto the UFC, but whatever the case it’s unlikely we see her move across to Bellator any time soon. Macfarlane will likely find herself lacking credible opponents sometime in the near future, but from what we’ve seen from Lipski so far in her career she could give the American some real problems.
Featherweight
(Photo: Jim Edwards)
James Gallagher vs Salahdine Parnasse
You could arguably exchange Gallagher’s name with AJ McKee or Aaron Pico, but whatever the case you’d still have an amazing fight between two incredibly talented prospects. If you’ve not seen or heard of Parnasse, now is the time to change that. The Frenchman is an incredible talent and just 20-years-old. This past weekend he put in an incredible performance to tune up former KSW featherweight champion Artur Sowinski across three rounds in a totally dominant display. Gallagher, just 21 himself, also looks to have the pedigree to go on and do massive things in the sport.
Featherweight
(Photo: Jim Edwards)
Marcin Wrzosek vs Patricio Freire
The former KSW featherweight champion vs the current Bellator featherweight champion? What’s not to like about that. “The Polish Zombie” is rarely involved in a bad fight and Freire could be the perfect dance partner for a very special featherweight bout. Is Freire one of the best featherweights in the world? Or is Wrzosek just waiting to get that big marquee win on his record and make the rest of the world sit up and take notice? This would be a great fight.
Best of the Rest….
Phil De Fries vs Roy Nelson
Borys Mankowski vs Douglas Lima
Roberto Soldic vs Paul Daley
AJ McKee vs Artur Sowinski
David Zawada vs Michael Page
What others can you think of? Let us know on Twitter @MMANyttcom
